[Breaking News] Next-Generation Medium Satellite No.1 Launch... Success Confirmed After 2 Hours 40 Minutes

The next-generation medium-sized satellite No. 1 was launched aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket at 3:07 PM (KST) on the 22nd. Photo by GK Launch Services YouTube channel

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The first next-generation medium-sized satellite was launched at 3:07 PM on the 22nd from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

On this day, the first next-generation medium-sized satellite was carried into space aboard the Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket. Originally scheduled for launch on the 20th, the countdown was halted due to a sudden power surge issue detected in the Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) controlling the upper part (Fregat) of the launch vehicle during a pre-launch inspection by the launch service provider, JSC Glavkosmos.

EGSE refers to the equipment connected to the upper part of the launch vehicle that performs status monitoring and control until launch. The Russian Federal Space Agency, together with related companies, identified the cause and repaired it, followed by a reproduction test the day before, leading to the launch on this day. CubeSats developed by Korean university students and Japanese satellites were also onboard.

The first next-generation medium-sized satellite was transported to the Baikonur Cosmodrome on January 22, where the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) technical team completed launch preparations including functional checks, fuel loading, and assembly with the launch vehicle over about 50 days.

The first next-generation medium-sized satellite will separate from the rocket approximately 64 minutes after launch. The satellite separation position is at 98.26 degrees east longitude and 78.86 degrees south latitude, forming an orbit with a perigee of 484 km and an apogee of 508 km. After 70 minutes, the onboard computer’s automatic program will activate, initializing the satellite and enabling communication with the ground. At this time, the solar panels mounted on the satellite will fully deploy and operate automatically. After 102 minutes, the first communication will be established with the KSAT ground station in Svalbard, Norway. KSAT is a satellite telemetry and command service provider located in Tromsø, Norway.

Two hours and 40 minutes after launch, the satellite will communicate with KSAT’s Troll ground station located in Antarctica, where the successful deployment of the solar panels will be finally confirmed. At this point, the successful launch and normal operation of the satellite will be conclusively verified. After 8 hours and 17 minutes, communication is expected with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) ground station located in Daejeon.

The first next-generation medium-sized satellite was developed independently by Korean aerospace companies under the leadership of KARI to serve as a 500 kg medium-class satellite "standard platform." A total budget of 157.92 billion KRW was invested, including 112.8 billion KRW from the Ministry of Science and ICT and 45.12 billion KRW from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The satellite is equipped with an optical camera capable of 0.5 m black-and-white and 2.0 m color resolution.

After launch, it will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 497.8 km, providing high-precision ground observation images, wide-area agricultural and forestry monitoring images, and water resource observation radar images.

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