[Exclusive] Military Micro Reconnaissance Satellite to be Launched with Solid Propellant from Goheung

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The military plans to launch a micro reconnaissance satellite from the Goheung Launch Site in Jeonnam in 2025 using a Korean solid-fuel launch vehicle. This is the first case of using a Korean launch vehicle since the U.S. and South Korea lifted the 'restriction on solid-fuel use' in the missile guidelines last July. In particular, the military can launch satellites capable of real-time surveillance across North Korea at any time, enabling independent operational deployment without relying on U.S. strategic assets, bringing the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) one step closer.

The satellite to be launched using the Korean solid-fuel launch vehicle is a micro military reconnaissance satellite, commonly called a 'CubeSat.' It can observe objects as small as 1 meter on the ground in high resolution from an altitude of 510 km orbit, regardless of day or night and adverse weather conditions. The CubeSat has a revisit period of 30 minutes, allowing reconnaissance of North Korea and surrounding areas of the Korean Peninsula. The military expects that launching multiple satellites with domestically developed solid-fuel launch vehicles will significantly reduce costs. Additionally, using solid-fuel launch vehicles is expected to allow the military to launch satellites whenever required. The military plans to use the Goheung Launch Site to launch the CubeSats with Korean launch vehicles. It is currently known that final adjustments are underway with the Ministry of Science and ICT regarding the construction of launch facilities at the Goheung Launch Site.

Due to the 'restriction on solid-fuel use' in the U.S.-South Korea missile guidelines, the military had to use foreign launch vehicles every time it launched satellites. For example, the first dedicated communication satellite, 'Anasis 2,' launched last July, used a launch vehicle from the U.S. space exploration company SpaceX. The same situation applies to reconnaissance satellites to be developed in the future, as the Korean solid-fuel launch vehicle development will only be possible after 2025. The military is currently conducting the '425 Project,' which involves developing five reconnaissance satellites. Two Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) satellites are scheduled to be developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Three high-performance Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites are planned to be developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) in 2024. The military has decided to use SpaceX for the EO/IR satellites' launch vehicles, and plans to select from four overseas companies, including SpaceX, for the SAR satellites in the first half of next year.

If the military uses the Korean solid-fuel launch vehicle starting with the micro reconnaissance CubeSats, it could also be utilized for civilian space launches. Until now, the thrust of solid-fuel launch vehicles usable domestically was limited to '1 million pound-seconds' according to the U.S.-South Korea missile guidelines. This is why the second stage of Korea's first space launch vehicle, Naro-1 (KSLV-I), launched in 2013, was developed to meet the '1 million pound-seconds' thrust limit.

However, developing a solid-fuel launch vehicle would enable the development of solid-fuel rockets exceeding 1 million pound-seconds of thrust. This could be applied starting with the Nuri rocket scheduled for launch next year. The first stage of the Nuri rocket consists of four 75-ton liquid engines clustered together for a total of 300 tons, the second stage has one 75-ton liquid engine, and the third stage has a 7-ton liquid engine. However, by adding a solid rocket booster (SRB) to the first stage of Nuri, the payload capacity can be increased to 2 tons, enhancing the utility of Nuri. Improving the solid engine thrust from 1 million pound-seconds to 1.2 million pound-seconds means that, like the U.S., Russia, Europe, China, Japan, and India, South Korea could send approximately 300 kg-class lunar landers to the moon.

A government official said, "If the Korean solid-fuel launch vehicle is developed with domestic technology, it will be possible to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), including the recently successfully developed 'monster missile' Hyunmoo-4 with a warhead weight of 2 tons."