[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] We Will Launch Military Reconnaissance Satellites Ourselves

▲Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) of the United States. [Photo by NASA]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] It appears that our military will soon be able to directly launch reconnaissance satellites developed domestically. On the 20th, South Korea's first dedicated military communications satellite, 'Anasis 2,' was launched from the U.S. Air Force's Cape Canaveral base in Florida. The satellite was launched by SpaceX, a private American space exploration company. However, the reconnaissance satellites to be developed in the future will be launched using launch vehicles developed by South Korea itself.

Kim Hyun-jong, Deputy Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, explained at a regular briefing on the 28th, "From today, the Korea-U.S. missile guidelines restricting the use of solid fuel for space launch vehicles have been completely lifted," adding, "All South Korean nationals can freely research, develop, produce, and possess various types of space launch vehicles using not only liquid fuel but also solid fuel and hybrid types without any restrictions." He also stated, "Although solid-fuel propulsion systems were not used for space launch vehicles until now, we can now develop solid-fuel propulsion systems to increase thrust under the Korea-U.S. missile guidelines."

This Korea-U.S. missile guideline means that it is now possible to develop launch vehicles capable of increasing the trajectory and range of ballistic missiles, as well as launching artificial satellites based on this technology.

The military has already enhanced its technological maturity through the development of the 'Hyunmoo-4,' known as a tactical nuclear-level monster missile. Mass production is expected to begin as early as next year. President Moon Jae-in also virtually confirmed the successful launch of the new ballistic missile during his visit to the Defense Science Research Institute in Daejeon on the 23rd. After inspecting advanced weapons, President Moon said, "Because this is a security matter, I cannot speak freely in front of cameras, but I congratulate the success of the ballistic missile equipped with one of the world's highest-level warhead weights."

He was likely referring to the 'Hyunmoo-4,' known as a tactical nuclear-level monster missile. The Hyunmoo-4 is estimated to have a range of 800 km and a warhead weight of 2 tons. With a warhead weight increased to 2 tons, it would have at least three times the penetration power compared to the currently strongest bunker buster, the GBU-57. It can penetrate reinforced concrete over 24 meters thick and ordinary ground up to 180 meters, effectively possessing tactical nuclear-level power.

Based on this technology, the pace of reconnaissance satellite launches is expected to accelerate. If the South Korean military possesses both communications and reconnaissance satellites, it will be able to conduct independent operations without relying on U.S. strategic assets. This also means taking a step closer to the wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer within the current administration's term.

Reconnaissance satellites, also called intelligence satellites, can maximize three-dimensional intelligence collection capabilities on North Korea. In April 2002, the U.S. Ikonos satellite discovered that North Korea's Geumgangsan Dam had collapsed. Unlike broadcasting or communications satellites that orbit at a geostationary altitude of 36,000 km, reconnaissance satellites orbit at a low altitude of 300 to 500 km, detecting objects and movements on the ground. They orbit the Earth about 14 and a half times a day at a speed of approximately 8 km per second.

The military established a domestic reconnaissance satellite development plan in April 2013, but the project has been delayed for over four years. Initially planned for independent military operation, the reconnaissance satellite project became stalled due to disagreements over satellite control rights and operational purposes after the National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Science and ICT joined the project. According to inter-agency consultations so far, the Ministry of National Defense will exercise control over the reconnaissance satellites. It is reported that the collected information will be shared with the National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Science and ICT. To fill the surveillance gap on North Korea before developing the reconnaissance satellites, the military considered leasing 4 to 5 satellites from European companies, but the countries involved expressed reluctance, and the plan did not materialize.

Ultimately, the military established an independent development plan. The reconnaissance satellite project (425 project) will invest 1.2214 trillion won to secure five satellites, including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Electro-Optical (EO), and Infrared (IR) satellites. In 2017, operational performance (ROC) improvements were added, including enhancements to the originally planned satellite image resolution and transmission speed.

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