South Korea says it has successfully launched a civilian rocket carrying a scientific satellite into space.<br/> <br />The country has previously failed in two attempts in 2009 and 2010 to launch such a craft.<br/> <br />More than 2,000 people gathered near the launch site to witness the rocket blasting off.<br/> <br />A final judgement of the success of the launch is expected when the satellite makes the first communication with the ground on Thursday.<br/> <br />South Korea already has satellites in space, but they were launched from other countries.<br/> <br />The launch comes amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.<br/> <br />After the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to censure North Korea for a rocket launch in December, the rogue state issued a warning that it would perform nuclear tests aimed at the United States.<br/> <br />Last week Pyongyang also declared a boycott of all dialogue aimed at ending its nuclear programme.<br/> <br />North Korea's December launch showed it had the capacity to deliver a rocket that could potentially hit San Francisco, according to an intelligence assessment by South Korea.
