South Korea is launching today, Friday, its first military spy satellite from the United States, aboard a rocket from SpaceX.

This launch operation comes less than two weeks after North Korea launched a satellite for espionage purposes. The satellite will be carried by a Falcon 9 rocket, and it is scheduled to launch from California at 18:19 GMT.

If successfully placed in orbit, it will become South Korea's first military spy satellite and will be able to monitor North Korea's nuclear-armed activities.

Seoul also aims to launch 4 additional satellites by the end of 2025 to enhance its capabilities.

The satellite is supposed to be placed in an orbit ranging between 400 and 600 kilometers in altitude according to the South Korean "Yonhap" agency, and it will be able to detect a small object the size of 30 centimeters.

Since North Korea launched its "Malligyong-1" satellite last week, Pyongyang has said it was able to monitor key sites in the United States and South Korea. However, no images have been published.

That was North Korea's third attempt to place a military spy satellite in orbit after two failed operations in May and August.