South Korea launched a rocket on Wednesday that reportedly put a scientific satellite in orbit, marking the first time that the country has successfully placed a satellite in space from its own territory, reported the Los Angeles Times. This makes South Korea the 13th nation with this capability, according to the Times’ Jan. 30 report. The Naro launch vehicle blasted off about 4:00 p.m. South Korea time from a space center in Jeolla on the country’s southwestern coast. South Korea has heretofore relied on other nations to place its satellites in orbit. Its previous two attempts to place a satellite in orbit from its territory—the first in 2009 and the second in 2010—both failed, reported Reuters (via NBC News). South Korea’s launch success comes on the heels of North Korea’s mid-December launch of an Unha-3 rocket that also reportedly succeeded in orbiting a small-sized satellite, the first such success for the communist nation.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.