S. Korea To Launch 3Rd Homegrown Military Spy Satellite
Date
12/21/2024 3:10:14 PM
(MENAFN- AzerNews)
South Korea will launch its third homegrown military spy
satellite from a U.S. space center Saturday in an effort to bolster
its surveillance capabilities on North Korea,
Azernews reports, citing Yonhap News.
The satellite is scheduled to lift off from the Vandenberg Space
Force Base in California at 3:34 a.m. (local time) on SpaceX's
Falcon 9 rocket.
If succeeded, it would mark South Korea's third military spy
satellite in orbit under a plan to acquire five medium- to
large-sized spy satellites by 2025 to better monitor the North.
South Korea launched its first spy satellite -- equipped with
electro-optical and infrared sensors to capture detailed images of
the Earth's surface -- in December last year from the California
space base.
In April, the country placed its first spy satellite -- fitted
with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors that capture data using
microwaves and are capable of collecting data regardless of weather
conditions -- from John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island,
Florida.
The third and remaining two satellites will also be equipped
with SAR sensors.
South Korea's defense authorities expected the upcoming launch
to further enhance the military's three-pronged deterrence program
against the North's nuclear and missile threats.
Defense Acquisition Program Administration Minister Seok
Jong-gun, who is overseeing the third launch, said the grouped
operation of satellites will enable the military to better identify
signs of North Korea's provocations.
The latest launch comes as North Korea has also been ramping up
efforts to acquire space-based reconnaissance capabilities.
Pyongyang successfully launched its first military spy
satellite, the Malligyong-1, in November 2023 and has vowed to
launch three more spy satellites this year.
But North Korea has yet to launch a satellite since a rocket
carrying a satellite exploded shortly following takeoff in May.
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