In an alarming escalation on the Korean peninsula, South Korea has demonstrated the ability to launch a satellite into the ocean. The announcement comes just months after North Korea announced that its newest communications satellite had triumphantly plunged into the Pacific.

Ok, obviously I’m being facetious here. South Korea’s much-anticipated launch of its Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 (KSLV-1) ended in failure this morning, much to the disappointment of everyone on that side of the demilitarized zone. There’s still no clear answer on what went wrong. The Korean Times reports that the first stage, a brand new Russian engine, burned smoothly, and that a “kick motor” to separate the first and second stages also worked. But after that, all bets were off. Confusingly, the South Korean report says that the rocket appeared flying at 342 km above Australia rather than the expected 306 km.

Whatever the cause of the anomaly, the satellite has yet to be detected in orbit. Russian and South Korean officials are now meeting to discuss the likely cause of the failure.

This launch does appear to put the South slightly ahead of the North in the Korean space race. North Korea’s Unha-2 failed to reach orbit in April after the third stage failed to separate from the second. The satellite and stage splashed down several thousand kilometres down range in the Pacific. The KSLV-1, by contrast, made it all the way to the outback.

In all seriousness, what both South and North Korea’s launches remind us is that space launches are really difficult—and not just for newcomers. The United States managed to ocean-launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory earlier this year.

Image: KARI