NEW YORK, December 2. /TASS/. SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 25 satellites, including South Korea's first reconnaissance satellite 425 Project EO/IR.

The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The other satellites on top of the rocket include Ireland’s EIRSAT-1 satellite and Armenia’s Hayasat-1.

South Korea plans to put five reconnaissance satellites into orbit by the end of 2025 to watch North Korea.

Pyongyang launched the first reconnaissance satellite on November 21. North Korean media reported that it captured images of large military facilities in South Korea, on the island of Guam, where the US has bases, and of Hawaii.