The launch, dubbed a partial success by officials, came less than five months after nuclear-armed rival North Korea incurred international anger by firing its own long-range rocket.

Seoul's Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 lifted off on schedule at 5:00 pm (0800 GMT) atop a tail of flame, to the jubilation of officials and guests at the Naro Space Centre.

The Russian-made first stage separated successfully less than five minutes later and the South Korean-built 100-kilogram (220-pound) scientific research satellite was then placed into Earth orbit.

But science and technology minister Ahn Byong-Man said it was not following the designated track.

"All aspects of the launch were normal, but the satellite exceeded its planned orbit and reached an altitude of 360 kilometres (225 miles)," Ahn said.

It should have separated at around 302 kilometres.

"A joint probe is under way by South Korean and Russian engineers to find the exact cause," the minister said.

Korea Aerospace Research Institute head Lee Joo-Jin told reporters efforts are underway to find out why the satellite separated so far above its designated height.

"Since the 100 kg scientific satellite does not have any on-board propulsion systems, if it fails to enter proper orbit there is no way to correct its trajectory," Lee said.

Asked if the launch should be seen as a success or a failure, Lee said: "We can say it is partially successful, although we have yet to analyse data precisely."

North Korea, smarting at UN Security Council censure of its April 5 blast-off, had vowed to closely monitor reaction to its neighbour's launch, which took place from Goheung on the south coast.

Pyongyang said it merely put a peaceful communications satellite into orbit and it wants Seoul's launch also to be referred to the Council.

Washington and its allies have said no North Korean satellite was detected in orbit and its launch was in fact a disguised test of a Taepodong-2 missile.

The US State Department said last week that South Korea -- in contrast to the North -- had developed its programme transparently and in keeping with international agreements.

A 2001 accord with Washington bars Seoul from developing missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometres.

The launch follows seven delays since 2005. Last week a software problem halted the countdown with just eight minutes to go.

Television showed about 100 invited guests led by Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo applauding and shaking hands after the initial announcement that the satellite was successfully placed into orbit.

They were visibly disappointed when the science minister later announced the hitch.

South Korea, an international economic powerhouse, entered Asia's space race relatively late.

It has invested more than 500 billion won (400 million dollars) and much national pride in the 33-metre (108-foot) rocket, whose first stage was built in Russia and the second stage by local engineers.

South Korea has previously sent 10 satellites into space using launch vehicles from other countries.

In November 2007 it announced a plan to launch a lunar orbiter by 2020 and to send a probe to the Moon five years after that.

South Korea unveiled the lunar project one month after China launched its first lunar orbiter and two months after Japan did the same.

In April last year Seoul sent its first astronaut into space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket.

earlier related report

South Korea launches first space rocket
by Lee Jong-Heon
Seoul (UPI) Aug 25 - South Korea launched its first space rocket on Tuesday, watched with jubilation at home but viewed warily by its Asian neighbors, alert to a possible diversion for military purposes.

The two-stage rocket, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, blasted off from the Naro Space Center on the southern tip of the peninsula at 5 p.m. local time.

It was South Korea's first rocket liftoff from its own territory. The country has launched 11 satellites since 1992, but all on foreign-made rockets sent from overseas sites.

But the space-launch vehicle, partly made by Russia, failed to place a satellite into the intended orbit, dashing Seoul's hope of becoming the world's 10th country with the ability to launch satellites from its own soil.

"A satellite was successfully separated from the rocket but it exceeded the planned orbit," Science Minister Ahn Byong-man said at a news conference. The satellite was placed 36 kilometers higher than the planned orbit.

South Korea and Russia will conduct a joint investigation to determine the cause of the excessively high altitude reached by the satellite, he said. The state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute, which was responsible for the launch, said it was trying to track the whereabouts of the satellite. Its mission was to observe the atmosphere and ocean.

Officials and engineers described the launch as a "half success," as the rocket functioned without a glitch.

On the back of Tuesday's "successful" blastoff, South Korea plans to conduct a second launch in May next year. The Science Ministry said it would launch a home-built rocket by 2018. "The liftoff could officially herald the country's entry into the space exploration arena," it said.

South Korea has set itself major goals in space, highlighted by sending a probe to the moon by 2015 and the launch of a lunar orbiter by 2020, in a bid to follow rival China.

South Korea also plans to launch a large satellite weighing about 100 kilograms every three or four years, and at least two smaller satellites every year.

In any case, Tuesday's rocket launch was a source of considerable national pride. The liftoff comes after seven delays since 2005, including one last week when the Space Center aborted the countdown less than eight minutes before liftoff, due to technical glitches.

Tens of thousands of South Korean citizens gathered on beaches close to the Naro Space Center and waited anxiously as engineers prepared to launch the rocket. As it successfully lifted off on time and roared into the blue sky they were jubilant, clapping and celebrating their country's entry into the world's elite "space club."

But the rocket launch was watched warily by North Korea and other neighboring countries. The North had warned it would "closely watch" how the United States and other countries respond to the South's launch.

In April, North Korea launched a multistage rocket, claiming it was putting a satellite into orbit. The North proclaimed that its three-stage rocket "accurately" put a communications satellite into orbit, which was transmitting the "immortal revolutionary" song of its "Great Leader" Kim Jong Il.

The United States, which considered the rocket test part of the North's missile development program, called the launch a failure, saying the payload fizzled into the Pacific Ocean. The United States said it had not detected any new object in orbit or any transmission of signals that could justify Pyongyang's claim.

Japan, Russia and even North Korea's only remaining ally, China, all condemned the launch, believing it to be a test of a ballistic missile capable of reaching Alaska. The U.N. Security Council subsequently slapped Pyongyang with sanctions, calling the launch a violation of resolutions banning it from conducting missile-related activity.

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