On the 1st of next month, the observation mission of 'Cheollian Satellite 1' ends after 9 years

Extending Operation 2 Years Beyond Design Life
Continuing the Mission of Cheollian Satellite 2

Provided by Korea Meteorological Administration

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Korea Meteorological Administration announced on the 29th that it will end the weather observation mission of Cheollian Satellite 1, South Korea's first meteorological satellite, at 8:59 a.m. on the 1st of next month (23:59 UTC on March 31).

Cheollian Satellite 1 was launched on June 27, 2010, underwent about 10 months of orbital testing, and began regular service on April 1, 2011. Through fuel conservation, its originally designed lifespan of 7 years was extended by 2 years.

Over the past 9 years, Cheollian Satellite 1 tracked the occurrence, development, and dissipation stages of hazardous weather such as typhoons and heavy rainfall based on satellite data, and contributed to early response to hazardous weather by monitoring sources of yellow dust.

Despite being the country's first geostationary meteorological satellite, Cheollian Satellite 1 achieved an operation success rate of 98.1%, comparable to advanced countries. It produced an average of 785 images per day, providing them in real time to major institutions.

The weather observation mission of Cheollian Satellite 1 will be carried out for the next 10 years by Cheollian Satellite 2A, which is currently operating in the same position.