South Korea Successfully Launches Its First Satellite From The Naro Space Center

In this photo released by Korea Aerospace Research Institute, South Korea’s rocket blasts off from its launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. South Korea says it has successfully launched a satellite into orbit from its own soil for the first time. Wednesday’s high-stakes launch comes just weeks after archrival North Korea successfully launched its own satellite to the surprise of the world. <AP Photo/Korea Aerospace Research Institute>

South Koreans watch live broadcast of the launch of Naro on a television in Seoul, Jan. 30, 2012. The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSVL-1), also known as Naro, blasted off from the Naro Space Center, located 480 kilometers south of Seoul on Wednesday. <Xinhua/Park Jin hee>