South Korea Launches Rocket

It was the first rocket that South Korea has launched from its own territory. The rocket was built with help from Russia.

"All aspects of the launch were normal, but the satellite exceeded its planned orbit and reached an altitude of 360km," said Education and Science Minister Ahn Byong-man. The satellite should have separated at around 302km. Despite the satellite failing to reach proper orbit, the KSLV-1 launch should be seen as a "half success" since the rocket functioned without a glitch. More from the BBC, SpaceflightNow, and Yonhap News.

Meanwhile, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Discovery space shuttle was delayed for the launch to the International Space Station due to inclement weather conidtions notes space commentator William Harwood. The flight is expected to launch at 1:10 AM EDT early Wednesday morning.