"We inform that the third Nuri launch, which was independently designed ... was successfully carried out," said Lee Jong-ho, the minister of science and technology.

For the South Korean minister, this launch confirms the "potential of (our) launch pad for various satellite operations and for space exploration".

A breakthrough that should give South Korea a competitive edge in the global space race, said President Yoon Suk Yeol.

In particular, the country has set itself the goal of sending spacecraft to the Moon by 2032 and to Mars by 2045.

"The success of Nuri's third launch is a tremendous achievement that shows that South Korea has joined the G7 space powers," the head of state said in a statement.

Three more Nuri launches will be carried out by 2027, he added.

Thursday's is already the third. The first had ended in failure before a success in 2022 at the second launch of this rocket that had put into orbit test satellites. The payloads carried by the launcher were then mainly intended to study its performance.

Nuri flew off Thursday at 18:24 local time (09:24 GMT) from the Naro Space Center in South Korea's southern coastal region, leaving a huge trail of white smoke behind.

It carries eight operational satellites, including a real "commercial-type satellite", said the South Korean Ministry of Science. The latter was able to communicate with the King Sejong Station, the South Korean station in Antarctica.

The satellites Nuri carries have successfully separated, according to official images.

More than 200,000 viewers watched the event live on YouTube, with one commenting: "Fly high Nuri! Let's go into space!"

Catching up

The "third launch aims to place into a target orbit a satellite" developed in South Korea, Ko Jeong-hwan, director of the Nuri rocket program at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), told reporters.

This 180 kg craft, NEXTSat 2, was created by the Korea Higher Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). It is to be put into orbit at an altitude of about 550 km, explains KARI.

The device is equipped with a small synthetic aperture radar that provides high-resolution images in all weather conditions.

It took about ten years to create this rocket of 47 meters high and weighing 200 tons, at a cost of 2,000 billion won (1.4 billion euros).

South Korea is one of the most technologically advanced countries, but it has always lagged behind in space exploration, where the Soviet Union led the way with the launch of the first satellite in 1957.

The first two South Korean launches of a rocket using Russian technology, in 2009 and 2010, ended in failure. In January 2013, it was finally successfully launched.

© 2023 AFP