Video: South Korea launches satellite into space orbit South Korea on Wednesday said it had successfully launched a satellite into orbit from its own soil for the first time. The high-stake launch came just weeks after North Korea successfully launched its own satellite to the surprise of the world. South Korean attempted launches in 2009 and 2010 failed. Two more recent launch attempts were aborted at the last minute because of technical problems. Wednesday's launch came amid increased tension on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's threat to explode its third nuclear device. Pyongyang is angry over tough new international sanctions over the December 12 long-range rocket launch that delivered its satellite.