SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) — South Korea will launch its second homegrown military spy satellite from a U.S. space center Monday as the country seeks to boost its independent surveillance capabilities on North Korea.
The satellite is scheduled to lift off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, at 7:17 p.m. Sunday (local time), or 08:17 a.m. Monday (South Korean time), on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
It is the second military satellite to be launched under South Korea’s plan to acquire five medium-sized to large spy satellites by 2025 to better monitor the reclusive regime.
The South’s first spy satellite — equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors to capture detailed images of the Earth’s surface — was launched into orbit from a U.S. Space Force base in California on a SpaceX rocket last December.
It has sent back high-resolution images of Pyongyang and is expected to enter its full mission phase as early as June.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying South Korea’s first indigenous spy satellite lifts off from the U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 1, 2023, in this file photo provided by SpaceX. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The next satellite will be equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors that capture data using microwaves and are capable of collecting data regardless of weather conditions. The other three satellites will also be equipped with SAR sensors.
On top of the five satellites, defense authorities are known to be pushing to acquire around 50 to 60 small and micro-sized spy satellites by 2030, which are expected to provide coverage of the Korean Peninsula in intervals of 30 minutes or less.
The latest launch comes as North Korea is also making its own efforts to acquire space-based reconnaissance capabilities.
Pyongyang successfully launched its first military spy satellite, named the Malligyong-1, last November and has vowed to launch three more spy satellites this year.
Seoul officials have said the North’s satellite has been orbiting the Earth but have questioned its capability to send back high-resolution images.
Last week, the South Korean military said it has been monitoring the North’s satellite launch preparations at its Tongchang-ri launch site on its northwestern coast, but no signs of an imminent launch have been detected.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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