S. Korea launches its first military communications satellite

한국군, 첫 전용 통신위성 확보…'아나시스 2호' 발사Our top story this afternoon.South Korea's first military communications satellite was launched into space on Monday and has successfully made contact to bases on Earth.This means South Korea becomes just the tenth country in the world to put a military-only communications satellite into orbit.Kim Ji-yeon starts us off.The Anasis-II satellite blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday... on a Falcon-nine rocket made by U.S.-based commercial space firm SpaceX.The satellite successfully separated from the rocket 32 minutes after launch at an altitude of about 630 kilometers above the equator.It made contact with the Toulouse Space Operations Center 18 minutes later.In two weeks, the satellite is expected to reach its fixed orbit of 36-thousand kilometers.With this, South Korea became the tenth country in the world to put a military communications satellite into orbit.It will replace the Anasis-I satellite used for both civilian and military purposes.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration says the new satellite will send data back two times faster than before and maintain quality even if it's subject to jamming attacks from enemy forces.The South Korean military will take system control in October after its manufacturer Airbus Defense and Space tests the satellite's functions and operability."After the tests, the satellite is expected to be in operation by the end of year. It will provide a constant, stable communications network for our military than before... particularly in terms of data transfer caused by jamming attacks from enemy forces."The project is part of a package for South Korea's 2014 purchase of 40 F-35A fighter jets from Lockheed Martin.Lockheed subcontracted the satellite manufacturing deal to Airbus in 2016.Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.