South Korea Successfully Launches Mid-size Satellite

South Korea’s first next-generation mid-size satellite is launched on March 22.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on March 22 that South Korea’s first next-generation mid-size satellite was successfully launched in Kazakhstan at 3:07 p.m. that day.

The satellite was successfully separated from the Soyuz-2.1a rocket at a perigee altitude of approximately 484 km in 64 minutes and successfully finished its first communication with the Svalbard Ground Station in Norway in 102 minutes. Through the communication, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute confirmed that the systems of the satellite were all normal and the satellite reached its first elliptical orbit successfully.Developed by the institute, the satellite is a low earth orbit ground observation satellite. Its initial operation at an altitude of 497.8 km will continue for six months so that standard images can be provided from October onwards. The ministry and the institute are planning to utilize the precision images for the purposes including territory and resource management and disaster response.

South Korea is about to launch a space launch vehicle as well. Specifically, a test launch of KSLV-2 is scheduled for October this year in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. The first-stage rocket of the vehicle is equipped with four 75 ton liquid rocket engines and the second and third are equipped with one 75 ton liquid rocket engine and one 7 ton liquid rocket engine, respectively. Hanwha Aerospace is in charge of the assembly of the engines and turbo pump production and a total of 30 South Korean companies are currently participating in the project.