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Korea's Earth observation satellite CAS500-2 to launch following nearly 4-year delay

Published: 02 May. 2026, 14:47

YOON SEUNG-JIN
[email protected]

A simulated image of Compact Advanced Satellites [KOREA AEROSPACE ADMINISTRATION]

Korea’s Compact Advanced Satellite 500-2 (CAS500-2), a midsize Earth observation satellite, is set for launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 3:59 p.m. on Sunday.

According to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the satellite has completed about 30 days of prelaunch preparations, including system checks and fueling, and is currently awaiting liftoff aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

Roughly 60 minutes after launch, the satellite will separate from the rocket, followed by its first communication with a ground station in Svalbard, Norway, about 15 minutes later.

Once in orbit, CAS500-2 will operate at an altitude of approximately 498 kilometers (309 miles). Following a four-month initial operation phase, the satellite will begin full missions alongside CAS500-1 in the second half of this year.

The CAS500 series is a medium-sized Earth observation satellite program aimed at securing a standardized 500-kilogram-class (1,323-pound-class) platform and transferring technology to the private sector. CAS500-2 weighs 534 kilograms and is capable of distinguishing objects as small as 0.5 meters (1.64 feet) in black-and-white and 2 meters in color imagery.

Developed independently by KAI, the project builds on earlier collaboration with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. KAI took over as the lead developer in 2018.

Originally scheduled for launch in the second half of 2022 aboard a Russian rocket, the mission was delayed for nearly four years due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Additional delays occurred after SpaceX changed plans for a joint launch with another satellite, resulting in a separate launch.

As a result, CAS500-2 will launch later than CAS500-3, which was sent into space aboard Korea’s Nuri rocket in November last year.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [[email protected]]