Real-time Fine Dust Monitoring... Launch of Cheollian 2B Satellite Tomorrow (Comprehensive)

Researchers at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute are preparing for the electromagnetic wave test of the Cheollian 2B satellite.

[Kourou Space Center, French Guiana = Joint Press Corps · Reporter Hwang Jun-ho] The first geostationary environmental satellite capable of observing the movement of fine dust over Asia, 'Chollian Satellite 2B' (Geostationary Multifunctional Satellite 2B), will be launched at 7:18 a.m. on the 19th. If the launch is successful, it will be possible to more closely monitor the transboundary movement of fine dust starting next year. A real-time atmospheric environment monitoring system is expected to be established, which will identify the sources of fine dust, a matter of national interest.

Launch on the 19th, success determined by first communication

Cheollian 2B is loaded on the Ariane launch vehicle and waiting for transport. Cheollian 2B, the world's first geostationary orbit meteorological observation satellite, will be launched at 7:18 PM on the 18th (local time, 7:18 AM on the 19th Korean time) from the Guiana Kourou Space Center in South America. (Guiana Kourou Space Center = Joint Press Corps)

According to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 18th, the Ariane 5ECA launch vehicle carrying Chollian 2B moved from the assembly building to the launch pad at the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana, South America, at 8:27 p.m. Korean time on the 17th, and preparations for launch are underway.

The final countdown begins 11 hours and 23 minutes before launch. Final preparations for launch, such as fueling, are carried out until the automatic sequence starts 7 minutes before launch. Once the launch command is given, the first stage engine ignites after 1 second, and liftoff occurs 6 seconds later. The countdown will be halted if any anomalies are detected up to 9 seconds before launch.

It takes 25 minutes and 29 seconds for the launch vehicle to reach the target orbit, and after 6 minutes, Chollian 2B separates. The first communication with the ground is expected about 31 minutes after launch. The success of the launch will be determined through the first communication with the control center in Yasara, Australia. The Ariane 5ECA has a launch success rate of 98.6%. Choi Jae-dong, head of the Geostationary Multifunctional Satellite Project Group at KARI, stated, "After tomorrow's launch, we plan to confirm initial success by checking the first communication and deployment of the solar panels."

Atmospheric observation from geostationary orbit

Cheollian 2B is being transported and waiting to be launched on the Ariane rocket. Cheollian 2B is the world's first geostationary orbit meteorological observation satellite and will be launched at 7:18 PM on the 18th (local time, 7:18 AM on the 19th Korean time) from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, South America. (Guiana Space Centre in Kourou = Joint Press Corps)

It will take about two weeks for Chollian 2B to reach the altitude of 36,000 km at longitude 128.2 degrees east after launch. This is a precise operation that consumes about 70% of the satellite’s fuel.

Once Chollian 2B reaches its target position, mission operations will begin. Chollian 2B is a geostationary satellite that will orbit the Earth at the same rotational speed as the Earth for the next 10 years, observing the atmosphere and oceans of Asia, including South Korea. While there are many geostationary satellites, this is the first geostationary satellite equipped with environmental payloads for environmental monitoring. The U.S. and Europe are also preparing similar satellites, but their launches are scheduled only after 2022.

Real-time monitoring of fine dust movement

Cheollian 2B is being transported and waiting to be launched on the Ariane rocket. Cheollian 2B is the world's first geostationary meteorological observation satellite and will be launched at 7:18 PM local time on the 18th (7:18 AM Korean time on the 19th) from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, South America. (Guiana Space Centre in Kourou = Joint Press Corps)

Chollian 2B can observe fine dust and pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, and about 20 other atmospheric pollutants eight times a day through its environmental payload. It analyzes sunlight reflected from the Earth at atomic-scale resolution to measure the concentration of air pollutants. The observation range covers 13 East Asian countries, from eastern Japan to northern Indonesia in the west and southern Mongolia. The atmospheric environment data collected by Chollian 2B will be sent from next year to the Integrated Air Quality Forecast Center (National Institute of Environmental Science), local governments, and the National Meteorological Satellite Center for use. In particular, Chollian 2B can monitor the transboundary movement of fine dust in real time. The atmospheric environment information provided by Chollian 2B will be made available to the public starting next year.

Additionally, the satellite is equipped with an ocean observation payload. Compared to the existing ocean observation satellite Chollian 1, the system has four times better spatial resolution, 1.3 times more observation frequency, and 1.6 times more spectral bands. This allows monitoring of disasters such as red tides, brown tides, and sea fog, and provides useful information for fisheries. Ocean environment information from Chollian 2B will be available starting October. Director Choi said, "After eight years of challenges since 2011, we have succeeded in independent development with domestic technology. When the mission of Chollian 1 ends, we plan to develop disaster, ocean, and communication satellites to succeed its mission by 2027, securing world-class technology to perform various missions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.