"Monitoring North Korea's Nuclear Activities from Space"…Full-Scale Development of Microsatellite System Begins

Military, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Ministry of Science and ICT, National Intelligence Service Participation
1.4223 Trillion KRW Invested... Launch Starting in 2028

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The development of a 'micro satellite system' that will monitor the Korean Peninsula and surrounding waters from space is set to accelerate.

On the 9th, according to military and defense industry authorities, the government held a meeting in Daejeon to share the promotion plans among participating ministries, development institutions, and requirement agencies for the development of the micro satellite system. The micro satellite system development project is being promoted as a multi-ministerial cooperative project involving the Ministry of National Defense, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Ministry of Science and ICT, Korea Coast Guard, and National Intelligence Service to efficiently utilize national space assets.

Space Industry Graphic [Image Source=Yonhap News]

First, a total of 1.4223 trillion KRW will be invested by 2030, with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) in charge of overall research. Leading domestic research institutions and companies such as the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, and National Security Research Institute will also participate.

The micro satellite system will be composed and operated of multiple Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, Electro-Optical (EO) satellites, and ground stations. SAR satellites sequentially emit radar waves from the air to the ground and sea, then process the subtle parallax reflected from curved surfaces to create ground topographic maps or observe the surface. They can complement EO satellites that use visible light.

Also, by making satellites micro-sized and operating them in a swarm form, the revisit period (the time it takes for a satellite to orbit once to reconnoiter the same point) can be reduced at a low cost.

The government plans to utilize satellite imagery obtained from the micro satellite system to monitor crisis situations on the Korean Peninsula and surrounding waters, and to prepare for maritime security, public safety, and disaster threats. After selecting multiple SAR verification satellite companies in the first half of this year, verification satellites will be launched in the latter half of 2026 to confirm performance, followed by sequential launches of multiple satellites starting in 2028.

An official from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said, "With the development of the micro satellite system, it is expected that rapid acquisition of imagery information regarding North Korea's nuclear threats as well as crisis situations in the surrounding waters of the Korean Peninsula will be possible," adding, "The participation of domestic space companies will lay the foundation for fostering core space technologies and the space industry."