SKorea launches first home built space rocket

South Korea test launched its first domestically produced space rocket on Thursday.

Officials describe the test as an important step in the country's pursuit of a satellite launch program. It wasn't immediately clear whether the three-stage Nuri rocket succeeded in delivering a dummy payload – a 1.5-ton block of stainless steel and aluminum – into orbit 600 to 800 kilometers above Earth.

Officials at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said it would take about 30 minutes to determine whether the rocket successfully delivered the payload into orbit.