South Korea says its third attempt at launching a rocket to put a satellite in space has been a success, with the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) departing the Naro Space Center at 4pm local time today.

Following a string of technical errors, failed launches and delays, South Korean scientists and technicians watched the launch intently today to see if it would succeed in delivering its payload into orbit. About an hour after takeoff, Republic of Korea Science Minister Lee Ju-ho declared the launch a success.

Reacting to the news today, outgoing President Lee Myung-bak hailed South Korea’s first successful