Seoul (AFP)

The launch and deployment of the three phases of the "Korean Satellite Launch Vehicle II" rocket worked, as did the separation of the 1.5-ton payload, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said after attending at launch at the control center.

But "the putting into orbit of a dummy satellite remains an unfinished mission", he announced.

"Although it did not perfectly achieve its objectives, we have done very well with our first launch," commented President Moon, adding that a new attempt will take place in May.

"The countries that are at the forefront of space technology will be at the forefront of the future, he said. And we are not too late to do it."

Cheers and applause had previously resounded in the control center as the flight went according to plan and appeared to be a success.

At the National Assembly, lawmakers had interrupted their work to attend the launch.

South Korean rocket launch John SAEKI AFP

It took about ten years to develop this rocket, at a cost of 2,000 billion won (1.46 billion euros).

With its six liquid fuel engines, it weighs 200 tonnes and is 47.2 meters long.

South Korea is the 12th largest economy in the world and one of the most technologically advanced countries, notably with its flagship Samsung Electronics, the largest manufacturer of smartphones and chips in the world.

But it always lagged behind in the conquest of space, where the Soviet Union led the way with the launch of the first satellite in 1957, followed closely by the United States.

In Asia, China, Japan and India have developed advanced space programs, and North Korea is the latest to join the club of countries capable of launching a satellite.

The same technology is used for ballistic missiles and space rockets.

Pyongyang launched a 300 kg satellite into orbit in 2012, which Western countries condemned as a disguised missile test.

Photo released on October 20 by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute of the Nuri rocket on its launch pad at Goheung Lee Hyo-kyun Korea Aerospace Research Institute / AFP

Today, only six countries have successfully launched a payload of over a ton on their rockets.

- Aim for the moon -

But the South Korean space program shows mixed results: its first two launches, in 2009 and 2010, which used Russian technology, were unsuccessful.

The second rocket had exploded after two minutes of flight, Seoul and Moscow blaming each other.

Eventually, the country successfully launched in 2013, still relying on engines developed in Russia.

The satellite launch business is increasingly the business of private companies, including Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has US space agency NASA and the South Korean military among its clients.

But a success of Nuri would have offered South Korea an "infinite" potential, estimates an expert.

Photo released on October 20 by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute of the Nuri rocket transported to its launch pad at Goheung Lee Hyo-kyun Korea Aerospace Research Institute / AFP

"Rockets are the only available means for humanity to get to space," Lee Sang-ryul, director of the Korea Institute for Aerospace Studies, told local newspaper Chosun Biz.

"Having such technology means that we have fulfilled the basic conditions to join this space exploration competition."

Thursday's launch was a milestone in South Korea's ambitious space program, with the goal announced in March by President Moon Jae-in of launching a lunar orbiter next year.

"Thanks to the achievements of South Korean rocket systems, the government will pursue an active program of space exploration," said the head of state.

"We will realize the dream of landing our probe on the Moon by 2030".

© 2021 AFP