Kim Itak, First Vice Minister of Land, Inspects Live Launch of Land Satellite No. 2 at KARI

Successful Launch... Shorter Imaging Cycle for Precise Observation of the Korean Peninsula
"Introduction of Follow-up Satellites No. 3 and No. 4 Will Be Expedited"

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that Kim Itak, First Vice Minister of the Ministry, visited the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon on the afternoon of May 3 to inspect the live launch of the Next-Generation Medium Satellite No. 2 (Land Satellite No. 2).

Vice Minister Kim checked the satellite communication status and encouraged the researchers and staff involved in the satellite's development. On this day at 4:00 p.m., Land Satellite No. 2 was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, United States. About one hour after launch, the satellite separated from the rocket at an altitude of 500 km, and approximately 15 minutes later, it successfully established its first communication with the Svalbard ground station in Norway. At the U.S. launch site, a launch management team consisting of the head of the Korea Aerospace Administration and the Director General for Land Information Policy of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport was dispatched.

Kim Itak, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is inspecting the live broadcast of the launch and initial control status of the Land Satellite No. 2 on the 3rd at the Satellite Integrated Control Center of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

After the successful first communication, Vice Minister Kim remarked, "Operating satellites No. 1 and No. 2 together will enable faster and more precise ground observation," adding, "This will serve as an opportunity to further advance the Republic of Korea's spatial information construction capabilities and service level."

He also announced plans to introduce follow-up satellites. Vice Minister Kim stated, "We will promptly proceed with the introduction of satellites No. 3 and No. 4 following Land Satellite No. 2," and added, "We will continue to advance so that satellite imagery can be extensively utilized for government policy and private sector industries." He went on to say, "By expanding the application of advanced technologies such as satellites across all land, infrastructure, and transport policies, we will contribute to enhancing national competitiveness."

When the two Land Satellites begin cross-observation with a set orbital difference, the imaging cycle for a specific location will be reduced from the current 4–5 days to 2–3 days. It will also become possible to provide three-dimensional satellite imagery for stereoscopic analysis of terrain elevation differences. The collected image data will be widely used for urban planning, monitoring wildfire and flood damage, crop change observation, as well as for constructing spatial information on hard-to-access border areas and uninhabited islands.

Land Satellite No. 2 is a twin satellite of No. 1, which was launched in March 2021. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) developed the satellite under private leadership after receiving technology transfer from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. Initially, it was scheduled to be launched aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in the second half of 2022, but the schedule was suspended due to sanctions against Russia following the Russia-Ukraine war. The government then contracted with SpaceX for a Falcon 9 launch as an alternative. Due to design adjustments caused by the change of launch vehicle, the overall project period has been extended until August of this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.