"The rocket was successfully launched at 14:52:26 pm (0552 GMT), a KARI spokesman said after the 14-meter-long (46.2-feet) rocket weighing six tonnes blasted off from a launch pad in Anheung in the central province of South Chungcheong.

"It reached an altitude of 42.7 kilometers, 0.7 kilometers higher than expected, and flew 84 kilometers for 231.44 seconds before falling into the Yellow Sea," he said.

The launch of the country's first liquid fuel rocket had been delayed by one day because of strong winds.

The KSR-III rocket's successful launch means the country has secured the technology needed to develop a satellite-launching vehicle by 2005, the Ministry of Science and Technology said.

Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com Memory Foam Mattress Review SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News ROCKET SCIENCE Successful First Test For Vega's Zefiro 9 Engine Paris, France(ESA) Dec 28, 2005 Flames, smoke and a deafening noise accompanied the first firing test of Vega's Zefiro 9 third-stage solid rocket motor. A first examination of the data indicates that everything went well at the test carried out yesterday at Salto de Quirra in southeast Sardinia.