S. Korea launches 2nd military spy satellite into orbit

SEOUL -- South Korea has launched its second military spy satellite into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the defense ministry said Monday.

The Falcon 9 rocket carrying 11 satellites, including South Korea's indigenous military reconnaissance satellite, lifted off at 8:16 am local time on Monday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida of the United States, a live footage from SpaceX showed.

The reconnaissance satellite was put into orbit about 45 minutes after the launch, the South Korean defense ministry noted.

South Korea planned to launch five military spy satellites by 2025, including the second one equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors.

The first one fitted with electro-optical and infrared sensors was launched in December last year.