Hancom's 'Sejong 1' Successfully Enters Orbit... Opening the Era of Korean Private Space Industry

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] South Korea's first private Earth observation satellite has successfully reached orbit.

Hancom announced that ‘Sejong-1’ was successfully launched at 3:35 AM KST on the 26th from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, and has completed communication with the ground station.

Hancom's Sejong-1 is a nano-class ultra-small low Earth orbit satellite measuring 100×200×300mm and weighing 10.8kg. It orbits the Earth 12 to 14 times a day at an altitude of 500km, circling approximately once every 90 minutes. After about a month of testing following launch, it plans to acquire Earth observation video data using a 5-meter resolution observation camera.

Hancom plans to prioritize service in Asia and the Middle East regions, where there is high demand for satellite image data, including agricultural and conflict-affected countries.

Through the launch of Sejong-1, Hancom will establish a unique global video data service belt covering space, aviation, and ground, based on satellites, drones, and fully integrated ultra-high-resolution sensors.

Hancom plans to launch Sejong-2 in the first half of 2023, followed by Sejong-3 and Sejong-4 in the second half, and Sejong-5 in 2024, sequentially launching a total of five satellites. The goal is to build a satellite constellation system by launching more than 50 satellites within five years. Starting with the four satellites to be launched next year, Hancom will directly manufacture ultra-small satellites and payloads for launch.

Additionally, Hancom Inspace, selected as the lead organization for the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Space Innovation Project task ‘Development of Ultra-small Communication Satellite System for 6G Low Earth Orbit Communication Demonstration’ on the 11th, is preparing to expand its satellite business area to respond to the 6G era, aiming to launch ultra-small low Earth orbit communication satellites in 2025.