Cape Canaveral: South Korea successfully launched its fourth homegrown military spy satellite from a US space base in Florida, the Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.
According to Kuwait News Agency, this development is part of South Korea's efforts to enhance its independent surveillance capabilities regarding North Korea. The satellite was carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off at 8:48 p.m. Monday (US time) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and successfully placed the satellite into orbit 15 minutes post-liftoff, as confirmed by the ministry.
The satellite managed to establish communication with an overseas ground station by 11:27 p.m., confirming its operational status. The ministry stated that this launch is expected to strengthen the coordinated operation of the satellites, alongside the three already functioning, and improve the ability to detect indications of potential North Korean actions.
This synthetic aperture radar satellite marks the fourth military satellite launched under South Korea's initiative to deploy five spy satellites by the end of this year. The objective is to enhance monitoring of North Korea and lessen dependency on US satellite imagery.
Seoul's first spy satellite, launched in December 2023, was outfitted with electro-optical and infrared sensors capable of capturing intricate images. The country plans to launch its fifth satellite, also equipped with synthetic aperture radar satellite sensors, later this year. With all five satellites in orbit, South Korea aims to achieve the capacity to monitor North Korea every two hours.