Full-scale Operation Starting November After Initial Operation and Inspection
It has been finally confirmed that the launch of the country’s first mass-produced satellite, the ‘Chosocheong Cluster Satellite No. 1,’ was successfully completed.
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the ‘Chosocheong Cluster Satellite No. 1,’ launched from the Mahia launch site in New Zealand at around 7:32 a.m. on the 24th (local time 10:32 a.m.), was confirmed successful after establishing two-way communication with the Daejeon ground station of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute at around 11:57 a.m. (4 hours and 25 minutes after launch, Korean time), followed by successful communication with the Antarctic King Sejong Station ground station at around 2:13 p.m. and 3:44 p.m.
The Chosocheong Cluster Satellite No. 1 will now enter its initial operation phase, including functional checks of the satellite. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) plans to test the performance of the satellite bus and optical payload of the Chosocheong Cluster Satellite No. 1 for one month in the originally planned orbit (approximately 500 km altitude) and inspect the quality of observation images for five months. Starting from November, when the inspection is completed, the No. 1 satellite will be able to fully perform Earth observation missions. The Chosocheong Cluster Satellite No. 1 is expected to provide optical images with a resolution of 1 meter in black and white and 4 meters in color from an altitude of about 500 km for more than three years.
The Chosocheong Cluster Satellite was developed by the KAIST Satellite Research Center with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Intelligence Service since 2020 to conduct high-frequency, precise monitoring of the Korean Peninsula and surrounding waters and to respond swiftly to national security and disaster situations. Satrec Initiative co-developed the satellite system, and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, together with numerous domestic space companies, developed the ground system, calibration, and utilization systems. In line with the era of commercial space, commercial components were used to enable economical mass production.
Starting with the successfully launched No. 1 satellite, an additional 10 satellites?five each in 2026 and 2027?will be launched by the Korean launch vehicle Nuri. From the second half of 2027, when a total of 11 satellites operate and are utilized as a cluster, it will be possible to observe the Korean Peninsula more than three times a day, which is expected to dramatically enhance the capabilities of existing medium- and large-sized Earth observation satellites.
Lee Chang-yoon, the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “The successful launch of the Chosocheong Cluster Satellite No. 1 is the result of the combined capabilities of industry, academia, and research institutes throughout the entire process of development, manufacturing, and launch.” He added, “We plan to develop the follow-up satellites without delay in line with the new space era to further strengthen South Korea’s space technology competitiveness and continuously foster the space industry.”
Yoon Oh-jun, the 3rd Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service, said, “As the scope of national security expands to outer space, we plan to continuously expand cooperation with the private sector to enhance core technological capabilities that form the foundation of national space security and contribute to the development of the domestic space industry, using this satellite development as an opportunity.”
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