South Korea launches its first homegrown space rocket

South Korea launched its first domestically-developed space rocket, television pictures showed, as it seeks to join the ranks of advanced space-faring nations.

The Korean Satellite Launch Vehicle II (known as Nuri) took off from Goheung, about 500km south of Seoul. South Korea is locked in an arms race with North Korea, with both recently test-firing new weapons.

Nuri cost South Korea an estimated 2 trillion won $1.6 billion to develop. Weighing 200 tonnes and measuring 47.2 meters long, it is fitted with six liquid-fuelled engines.