Goheung: South Korea’s homegrown space rocket Nuri took off from Naro Space Center on Thursday, successfully deploying 13 satellites in its fourth launch, space authorities said. The 200-ton Nuri blasted off from the center in the country’s southern coastal village of Goheung, 473 kilometers south of Seoul, at 1:13 a.m., according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

According to Yonhap News Agency, the launch was slightly delayed from the original plan of 0:55 a.m. due to a sensor issue. About two minutes after liftoff, Nuri separated the first stage, followed by the second-stage four minutes and 30 seconds into the flight. After reaching the target altitude of 600 km, Nuri separated a next-generation medium-sized satellite, the CAS500-3, along with 12 cube satellites. It was Nuri’s first nighttime launch.

Nuri’s flight ended at 1:31 a.m., completing its 18-minute mission, according to KARI. It will later reenter Earth’s atmosphere due to gravity and disintegrate as it falls. KARI said its researchers are analyzing the flight data.