South Korea on Thursday carried out its first ever test of a domestically produced launch vehicle.
The rocket took off at 5 pm (0800 GMT) from the Naro Space Centre near the southern coastal town of Goheung. South Korean television stations broadcast the launch live.
The 200-ton rocket, which is supposed to carry a satellite launch vehicle into Earth orbit, is of the KSLV-II type. If the mission is successful, it would be the first space rocket developed and built entirely in South Korea.
The government in Seoul plans to launch communications satellites and lunar probes, among other things, as part of its space programme in the coming years.
The rocket launch was originally scheduled an hour earlier, but according to the Science Ministry, there were delays in inspecting the valves on the missile.
