Successful Launch of Military Reconnaissance Satellite No. 4: "Accurate Identification of North Korean Provocations"

No. 5 Satellite Scheduled for Launch Within This Year

The Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced that at approximately 9:48 a.m. on April 22, Military Reconnaissance Satellite No. 4 was successfully launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in the United States.

Military Reconnaissance Satellite No. 4 separated normally from the Falcon 9 launch vehicle about 15 minutes after launch and entered its target orbit. Approximately 56 minutes later, it successfully established communication with the ground station, confirming that the satellite was in good condition. Moving forward, Military Reconnaissance Satellite No. 4 will conduct an in-orbit test to verify its performance under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development, and after undergoing operational test and evaluation led by the military, it is scheduled to begin full-scale surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

The Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration stated, "With the successful launch of Military Reconnaissance Satellite No. 4, our military has added an independent surveillance and reconnaissance capability. This will further strengthen the kill chain capability by enhancing the core assets that form the foundation of the Korean three-axis system."

This fourth satellite is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), just like satellites No. 2 and No. 3, enabling it to capture ultra-high-resolution images around the clock, regardless of weather conditions. In particular, by operating a constellation of reconnaissance satellites together with satellites No. 1 through No. 3, which were previously launched successfully, the military can shorten the revisit cycle and identify signs of North Korean provocations more quickly and accurately.

Military Reconnaissance Satellite No. 4 was developed through the organic cooperation of the Agency for Defense Development and domestic companies under the project management of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The military emphasized that, in addition to strengthening military capabilities, the satellite has laid the foundation for accumulating domestic satellite development heritage, which is significant as the security domain expands into space in response to the changing international situation.

Seok Jonggeon, head of the launch management team at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, stated, "Following the successful launch of Satellite No. 4, we plan to launch all military reconnaissance satellites by the end of this year. Once the ultra-small satellites currently under development are also launched, our military will be able to establish independent space power and take a leap forward as a strong space defense force. In addition, we will continue efforts to enhance our space operation capabilities by building domestic ground launch sites and launching satellites with launch vehicles developed with our own technology."