A live broadcast of Friday morning’s launch in South Korea showed the Danuri orbiter — which means “enjoy the moon” — successfully separating from the Falcon 9 rocket.
Developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the 678-kilogram (about 1,500-pound) craft has six payloads, including Korean-made equipment.
It is expected to enter lunar orbit in December before embarking on a year-long observation mission where it will search for possible landing sites for future missions, conduct scientific studies of the lunar environment and test space internet technology, the Ministry of Science and ICT said of South Korea in a statement.
If successful, South Korea will become the seventh lunar explorer in the world and the fourth in Asia after China, Japan and India.
Friday’s launch comes as South Korea accelerates its burgeoning space program and aims to send a probe to the moon by 2030.
In June, the country successfully launched satellites into orbit with its indigenous Nuri rocket in a significant step for its space program.
Space launches have long been a sensitive issue on the Korean Peninsula, where North Korea faces international sanctions over its nuclear ballistic missile program.
In March, North Korea called for an expansion of its space launch pad to advance its space ambitions after South Korea and the United States accused it of testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile under the guise of launching a space vehicle.
South Korea maintains that its space program is for peaceful and scientific purposes and any military use of the technology, such as in spy satellites, is for its defense.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
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