Washington/Seoul, 8 April 2024 (dpa/MIA) - South Korea has sent a second military reconnaissance satellite into space to improve its ability to monitor neighbouring North Korea.

A Falcon 9 rocket from the private space company SpaceX with the South Korean satellite on board lifted off from NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Centre in the US state of Florida on Sunday evening.

The launch was successful and the satellite reached its target orbit, the Defence Ministry in Seoul said.

The rocket also transported other spacecraft in addition to the South Korean satellite.

The first military reconnaissance satellite was put into orbit in December, and South Korea plans further launches in the coming year.

Seoul said the spy satellites were designed to better monitor events in its isolated neighbouring country while relying less on its ally, the US, for surveillance from space.

North Korea is also developing satellites to better monitor the south.

The US, South Korea, Japan and Australia recently imposed new sanctions on North Korea after the launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite.

They accuse Pyongyang of using technologies related to its intercontinental ballistic missile programme. Depending on their design, these can be equipped with a nuclear warhead.

Photo: MIA archive