Fine Dust Monitoring Satellite to Launch 'Next Month'

Cheollian Satellite 2B being transferred to a container for launch site transport

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Junho] The 3.4-ton class satellite Cheollian Satellite 2B, which will monitor and analyze fine dust and red tide phenomena, departed on the 5th for the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, South America, for launch scheduled on the 19th of next month.

Cheollian Satellite 2B, which departed from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute on this day, is transported in a specially manufactured vibration-free, temperature and humidity-controlled satellite container by KARI. The satellite will be transported by aircraft from Incheon Airport to its destination.

At the Guiana Space Centre, Cheollian Satellite 2B will undergo pre-launch preparations including status checks, fueling, and integration with the launch vehicle until the launch day. It will then be launched on the morning of the 29th of next month at around 7:14 AM (local time: February 18th, 7:14 PM) by Arianespace’s Ariane-5 launch vehicle.

After launch, it will undergo a one-month orbital transfer process before settling into a geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36,000 km. From October this year, the satellite will begin collecting marine environmental information such as red tide and green algae, and from next year, it will gather and provide atmospheric environmental information.

Cheollian Satellite 2B is a twin satellite of Cheollian Satellite 2A, which was launched in December 2018 for meteorological observation. It is equipped with the world’s first geostationary environmental payload and a marine payload with significantly improved performance compared to Cheollian Satellite 1.

The environmental payload GEMS, which continuously observes the occurrence and movement of fine dust over the Korean Peninsula and East Asia, is an ultra-precise optical observation instrument capable of monitoring over 20 atmospheric pollutants including fine dust and substances causing fine dust (nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, etc.), as well as climate change-inducing substances (ozone, aerosols).

Cheollian Satellite 2B is the world’s first geostationary satellite dedicated solely to atmospheric environment monitoring. The US TEMPO is scheduled for launch after 2022, and Europe’s Sentinel-4 after 2023. Until now, satellite monitoring of the atmospheric environment has only been developed with low Earth orbit satellites (altitude 700?1000 km) due to observational technology limitations.

The observation range of Cheollian Satellite 2B extends from eastern Japan to northern Indonesia in the west and southern Mongolia, providing atmospheric environmental information for 13 countries in the East Asia region.

Choi Won-ho, Director of the Mega Public Research Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "Through proactive investment, we have developed the world’s first geostationary fine dust observation satellite, which will contribute to effective fine dust response," adding, "We will continue to strive to provide timely public services necessary for the people through leading space development."

Cheollian Satellite 2B being transferred to a container for launch site transport

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