South Korea has successfully launched a satellite in Russia. 

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said Thursday that the Science and Technology Satellite 3 (STSAT-3) blasted off at 4:10 p.m. (KST) aboard the Dnepr launch vehicle from Russia's Yasny Launch Base.

The ministry said the satellite successfully separated from the launch vehicle 16 minutes after liftoff.

The satellite also made its first contact with the Svalbard satellite ground station in the North Pole about 89 minutes after liftoff. It will make a contact with a satellite research center in Daejeon, South Korea around six hours after liftoff to confirm normal operation.

STSAT-3 was launched along with 22 other small satellites, including the Korean-made DubaiSat-2 and two miniature satellites.