Korea to launch 4th next-generation medium-sized satellite from U.S. Tuesday

Korea plans to launch its fourth medium-sized Earth observation satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday, the space agency said.

The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) said the 500-kilogram (1102-pound) satellite will be launched at 00:12 a.m. on Tuesday. 

The satellite has completed function inspections and fuel injection over the past month and is now awaiting launch aboard the Falcon 9.

It is scheduled to separate from the launch vehicle about 2 hours and 22 minutes after liftoff and make its first contact with the ground approximately 31 minutes later through the Svalbard ground station in Norway, KASA said.

The satellite carries homegrown payloads, including an observation camera capable of imaging the entire Korean Peninsula every three days.

The government expects the satellite to be used for a wide range of applications, including agriculture and forest management, forest change monitoring, disaster response, climate change analysis and public safety enhancement.

After reaching its target orbit at an altitude of about 888 kilometers (551 miles), the satellite will undergo four months of initial in-orbit operations before beginning full-scale missions in the first half of next year, the agency said.

Yonhap