South Korea canceled its planned launch Wednesday of its first commercial-grade satellite due to a technical issue, days after rival North Korea reaffirmed its push to place its first military spy satellite into orbit.

The cancellation was announced about two hours before South Korea’s homegrown Nuri space launch vehicle carrying eight satellites — including the main, commercial-grade one — was scheduled to lift off from a southern launch facility.

Oh Tae-seok, the first vice-minister of science, told a televised news conference a communication anomaly between the launch control computer and the launch pad control computer was found during the launch preparation process. He said South Korea will consider rescheduling the launch as soon as Thursday, if authorities fix the technical problem early.

South Korea’s satellite launch plan has been closely watched by outsiders. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reviewed a finished spy satellite and approved a future action plan on its launch. During his visit to the country’s aerospace agency, Kim also mentioned the strategic significance of a spy satellite while vowing to defend against “confrontational moves” by South Korean and U.S. forces, according to state media.