South Korea's Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite 2 will launch into space aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from the United States Wednesday.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) said the satellite will lift off at 3:59 p.m. Wednesday (11:59 p.m. Tuesday local time) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the United States.
The Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite program builds a 500-kilogram-class standard satellite platform to transfer satellite technology to the private sector, and is currently led by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). In particular, Satellite 2 is the first satellite independently developed under industry leadership, intended for national land resource management and disaster response. Satellite 1 was jointly designed by KAI and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.
According to KASA, the fairing will separate 182 seconds after launch, and Satellite 2 will separate at one hour and 25 seconds after launch. Once the satellite enters orbit, it will deploy from launch configuration to mission configuration, and the normal operation of the satellite's hardware and software will be confirmed.
Satellite 2 will carry out ground observation missions for the next four years. It will provide precise ground observation imagery for national land resource management, response to disasters such as typhoons, wildfires and floods, and the provision of national spatial information utilization services.
KASA plans to pursue export commercialization to Middle Eastern and South American countries based on the Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite standard platform. The agency also intends to enter the overseas satellite export market by leveraging its capability to develop low-cost, multi-purpose mid-size satellites under industry leadership.
Satellite 2 was originally scheduled to be launched in the second half of 2022 aboard a Russian launch vehicle, but the contract was terminated in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine, sending it into space about four years later.
KAI signed a launch contract for Satellite 4 with SpaceX in July 2021, and based on that, also signed a launch contract for Satellite 2 in 2023. Satellites 2 and 4 were scheduled to launch together, but due to circumstances on SpaceX's side, Satellite 2 will launch Wednesday and Satellite 4 will launch separately aboard a Falcon 9 in July.
