The countdown for the launch of the South Korean military’s first reconnaissance satellite will kick off on Friday morning in Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, that’s early Saturday Korea time.
If successful, it will be the first of five indigenously developed ones to be placed in orbit by 2025, with the aim of better monitoring North Korea’s activities.
Our defense correspondent Choi Min-jung reports.
South Korea is set to launch its first locally developed military spy satellite on Friday morning local time, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The satellite will be carried on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Space X, an American aerospace company, revealed on Thursday that the launch of the Falcon 9, carrying the Korea 425 Mission into low-Earth orbit is scheduled for December 1st at 10:19 AM.
The mission was established in 2018 with the aim of securing independent satellite reconnaissance for the country, specifically to detect activities by the North Korean military.
The goal is to place five domestically developed military spy satellites in orbit by 2025, with the one to be launched on Friday being the first.
If the satellite is successfully placed in orbit, it will be a first for the military to secure its own independent reconnaissance asset.
The satellite will be able to capture images of major facilities in North Korea, every two hours.
While South Korea looks to boost its surveillance capabilities in space, North Korea has claimed it successfully launched its first spy satellite last week.
Choi Min-jung, Arirang News.
source : https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=262568
