Cheollian 2B Satellite "Chinese Fine Dust and Japanese Volcanic Gas Headed to the Korean Peninsula"

First Release of Cheollian Satellite 2B Atmospheric Quality Images
Monitoring Asian Air Quality for the Next 10 Years
Contributing to Pan-Asian Air Quality Policy Cooperation

This shows the movement of high concentrations of sulfur dioxide gas generated during the volcanic eruption of Nishinoshima, Japan, traveling along the North Pacific high-pressure airflow toward the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula.

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] The test operation results of the Cheollian Satellite 2B, which was launched into space to observe South Korea's air quality from an equatorial altitude of 35,786 km at 128.2°E longitude, have been revealed for the first time. The 2B satellite observed yellow dust and fine dust originating from China crossing over to the Korean Peninsula. It also detected volcanic gases from Japan moving near the Korean Peninsula. The government announced that it will engage in international joint research based on the data captured by the 2B satellite.

First Release of Cheollian 2B Satellite Atmospheric Observation Results

The yellow dust originating from China and high concentrations of fine dust flowing into the Korean Peninsula

The Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries publicly released for the first time on the 18th the visualized Asian air quality data observed by the environmental payload of the 2B satellite.

On September 9, it was confirmed that nitrogen dioxide concentrations were high not only in China but also in major metropolitan areas with heavy vehicle traffic across Northeast Asia (Seoul, Pyongyang, Beijing, Shenyang, Osaka, Nagoya), as well as in industrial areas including coal-fired power plants. About a month later, on October 20, the satellite captured high-concentration fine dust originating in China moving toward the Korean Peninsula. On August 6, it detected high concentrations of sulfur dioxide caused by the eruption of the Nishinoshima volcano in Japan moving near the Korean Peninsula, and on the same day, it also observed high concentrations of ozone layers in the atmospheres of Manchuria and Japan.

Developed since 2011 and successfully launched on February 19, the 2B satellite entered its target orbit on March 6, completed operational checks, and then observed such images. The 2B satellite observes the distribution status of fine dust-causing substances such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) across Asia, as well as estimated concentrations of fine dust (PM) based on these, on an hourly basis. The observation range covers from 5°S to 45°N latitude (Indonesia to Mongolia) and 75°E to 145°E longitude (India to Japan), targeting the skies of about 20 Asian countries. The 2B satellite can observe about eight times a day with a spatial resolution of up to 3.5×8 km², demonstrating higher performance than overseas low Earth orbit satellites that observe from closer distances to Earth.

Promotion of International Joint Research Based on Observation Data

High concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were observed in major cities with heavy vehicle traffic (Seoul, Pyongyang, Beijing, Shenyang, Osaka, Nagoya), industrial areas, and thermal power plants.

The Ministry of Environment plans to utilize the 2B satellite's atmospheric environment observation data internationally. The observation data will be shared with Asian countries to promote international joint research. The 'Environmental Satellite Joint Utilization Platform Construction Project (Pandora Project)' is also underway to jointly utilize fine dust and climate change-causing substance information observed by the 2B satellite with 13 Asian countries.

Lee Chang-yoon, Director of the Large Public Research Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "Following the successful launch of ocean services by the 2B satellite, preparations for atmospheric environment observation services are also progressing smoothly, including the first release of atmospheric quality observation images. We expect that once the atmospheric quality observation image service begins, it will contribute to improving air pollution issues and global climate change problems."

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