South Korea will launch fourth Earth observation satellite, will fly with SpaceX’s Falcon 9

Seoul. South Korea is going to launch its fourth medium-sized Earth Observation Satellite on Tuesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. This satellite will be sent into space through SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

South Korea’s state news agency Yonhap News and Turkey’s state news Anadolu Agency quoted the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) as saying that this satellite, weighing about 500 kg, will be launched on Tuesday at 4:10 pm (Korea time).

All technical checks and fueling process were completed last month, after which it was declared ready for launch.

The agency said that the satellite will separate from the rocket about 2 hours and 22 minutes after launch and will receive its first signal through Norway’s Svalbard Ground Station about 31 minutes later.

The satellite carries payloads developed in South Korea, including a high-resolution observation camera capable of taking images of the entire Korean Peninsula every three days.

According to the government plan, this satellite will be used in areas like agriculture, forest management, disaster management, climate change studies and public security.

The satellite will undergo an initial testing phase of four months after being placed in its orbit at an altitude of about 888 kilometers and will be fully operational by the first half of next year.