South Korea succeeded in launching its 1st space rocket, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), local media reported.

South Korean Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), South Korea's first space rocket, is seen on the launch pad at the Naro Space Center, southern part of the Republic of Korea, Aug. 24, 2009. South Korea decided to launch its first space rocket at 05:00 p.m. (08:00 GMT) Tuesday Aug. 25, 2009, after a series of delays caused by technical problems. [Xinhua]

Blasting off at 05:00 p.m. (0800 GMT) Tuesday, the satellite carried by the rocket, successfully entered its orbit at around the 8th minute after its liftoff.

After the 1st-and 2nd-stage of the rocket were successfully separated five minutes after the blastoff, the satellite separated from its carrier's second-stage rocket and entered into the orbit around eight minutes after the launch, local media said.

The final confirmation of success is to be made in the early morning of Wednesday, 11 to 12 hours after the blastoff. 

(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2009)