Souht Korea puts fifth reconnaissance satellite in orbit - VIDEO
South Korea’s fifth domestically developed military reconnaissance satellite — launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from a U.S. space facility in Florida — has successfully entered orbit, the defense ministry said Sunday, in a step expected to strengthen Seoul’s own surveillance capabilities, News.Az reports, citing the Yohap.
The Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:09 a.m. Sunday (GMT-5) as scheduled and deployed the satellite roughly 14 minutes later, the ministry said.
About an hour after launch, the satellite also made contact with a ground station, confirming normal operation.
The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft is the final satellite under South Korea’s program to field five spy satellites by the end of this year to improve monitoring of North Korea and reduce reliance on U.S. imagery.
"With the latest launch, (the military) will be able to build independent capabilities to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance in all weather conditions across the Korean Peninsula by operating the satellites in a cluster," the ministry said in a notice.
The first three satellites have been fully deployed while the fourth satellite is undergoing operational evaluation.
The ministry said the military will seek to further develop its space capabilities by pushing for the launch of small-sized satellites and securing launch pads and rockets.
"Operating a total of five reconnaissance satellites in a cluster will enable a faster and more accurate detection of signs of North Korea's provocations," the ministry earlier said in a release, anticipating the satellites will help bolster the military's three-axis deterrence structure.
Once all five satellites are fully deployed, the country is expected to be able to monitor North Korea every two hours.
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