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S.Korean Rocket Lifts Off, in Third Attempt to Place Satellite in Orbit


South Korea has launched a rocket aimed at putting a satellite into orbit, in what Seoul hopes is a major victory for the country's space program.

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle lifted off from the Naro Space Center on the country's southern coast Wednesday. South Korean media declared the mission a success, but there was no immediate official word about whether the satellite deployed as planned.

It is the third time that South Korea has attempted to launch a satellite into orbit. In 2009, the rocket achieved orbit but the satellite did not deploy. A year later, the rocket exploded just two minutes after liftoff.

This latest launch comes just a month after North Korea successfully sent what it said was a weather satellite into space. The move was widely condemned by the international community as a violation of U.N. sanctions barring it from conducting ballistic missile tests.
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