600 Billion Won 'Ultra-High Performance' Cheollian Satellite 5 Development Underway

Government Proceeding with Selection Process for Preliminary Feasibility Study Targets
Developed Over 7 Years Since 2023, Succeeding 2A Mission in 2019

Cheollian Satellite 2B. Photo archive.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] South Korea's proud high-performance large satellite, the iconic 'Cheollian Satellite,' is entering the production of its 5th series. The Cheollian Satellite, an ultra-expensive satellite worth around 600 billion KRW, stays in a geostationary orbit at 35,000 km, responsible for weather observation and space weather monitoring missions.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 20th that the preliminary feasibility study selection process is underway for the development project of the geostationary orbit weather and space weather satellite system (Cheollian Satellite 5).

Cheollian Satellite 5 is being developed to replace the currently operating Cheollian Satellite 2A, which will end its mission in 2029. Cheollian Satellite 5 will succeed the mission of Cheollian Satellite 2A, launching in 2029 and operating for 10 years until 2039. To achieve this, it is essential to proceed with the project over seven years starting from 2023.

The total project cost is approximately 598 billion KRW. It includes the development of ▲the satellite body, ▲weather and space weather payloads, and ▲ground station systems and utilization technologies.

Cheollian Satellite 5 aims to produce satellite information necessary for future society by providing rapid monitoring and forecasting to protect citizens' property and lives from weather disasters such as super typhoons, sudden heavy rains, and wildfires, and to respond to abnormal climate conditions. In particular, with the capability to continuously observe the Korean Peninsula every 2 minutes, ultra-short-term hazardous weather detection and forecasting will be possible. Compared to the currently operating satellite, wildfire detection capability will be expanded fourfold, enabling early detection and information provision for wildfires as large as a soccer field. It will also provide warnings and alerts on space weather impacts caused by solar flares affecting satellite navigation, aviation operations, and power grids.

Cheollian Satellite 5 aims to resolve issues such as difficulty in observing below clouds and discontinuity during day and night that were challenges for Cheollian Satellite 2A, and significantly reduce the detection time for solar flares (from a maximum of 1 hour to 8 minutes) through the independent development of the ‘Solar X-ray Observation Sensor.’

The Ministry of Science and ICT expects that during the development of Cheollian Satellite 5, it will generate about 730 billion KRW in production inducement and added value in the space industry sector, expand the space development specialized workforce by over 1,000 people, and create employment effects for more than 5,600 people. Additionally, it is projected that the operation will reduce damage costs from hazardous weather by over 800 billion KRW.

Kwon Hyun-jun, Director of the Large Public Research Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “Before the mission of Cheollian Satellite 2A ends, we will do our best to ensure that this preliminary feasibility study is selected so that the main project can proceed normally from 2023, enabling stable succession of weather satellite missions and technological advancement in weather satellites.”

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