South Korea placed its fifth and final military reconnaissance satellite into orbit Sunday, completing a multiyear effort to establish an independent, space-based surveillance network capable of monitoring North Korea around the clock.

The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite — launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida — lifted off at 2:09 p.m. Seoul time (1:09 a.m. local time), the Defense Ministry and Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a joint statement.

Roughly 14 minutes after launch, the satellite separated from its second-stage rocket and entered orbit. Ground controllers established contact with