by Playfuls Staff |
28th July 2006
A converted Russian missile successfully placed the South Korean CompSat-2 remote probing satellite into orbit Friday, military officials said.
The 800-kilo satellite blasted off aboard a Rokot rocket from the military launch centre at Plesetsk and deployed its solar panels as programmed, [more] space forces spokesman Alexei Zolotukhin told the Itar- Tass news agency.
Control was then passed to South Korea's Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).
CompSat-2 is designed to monitor natural disasters as well as explore natural resources as it orbits the earth at a height of 685 kilometres.
It also carries a microchip containing names and photographs of 121,000 South Korean citizens who wanted information about them to travel into space.
This was the ninth launch of a South Korean satellite.
© 2006 DPA
