South Korea's first-ever military communications satellite has been successfully launched by Elon Musk's company SpaceX. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the ANASIS-II satellite blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Seoul's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said. After separating from the rocket, the satellite successfully communicated with the Toulouse Space Operations Center in the French city of Toulouse at 7:19pm. The satellite is expected to reach its orbit of 22,300 miles (36,000 km) in two weeks and South Korea's military will take over the system in October after testing. The satellite is intended to build up South Korea's defence capabilities against the nuclear-armed North, which invaded in 1950.

Source: Daily Mail July 21, 2020 16:11 UTC