JAXA announced the first payload had successfully separated with the rocket approximately 16 minutes after its launch from the Tanegashima Space Center. Shortly after, the Korean Aerospace Research Institute confirmed that Arirang-3 was functioning normally.

   Japan hopes the successful mission will bring the nation into the same market as international commercial service providers Arianespace in Europe and International Launch Services (ILS) in Russia.

   “We’re very happy with the launch of a South Korean satellite as Japan’s first commercial payload,” Japanese Minister for Space Development Motohisa Furukawa said in a statement. “Since 2007, Japan has launched as many as three H-2A rockets a year under the program run by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and we support securing more opportunities for our satellite-launch service.”