[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] A Step Closer to Reconnaissance Satellite Launch Nation

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] With the successful launch of Korea's first lunar exploration orbiter, 'Danuri (KPLO·Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter),' South Korea has solidified its position not only as a space power but also as a missile power.

It is regarded as a missile power because space launch vehicle technology can be directly converted into intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology. Space launch vehicle technology is essentially the same as ICBM technology. The difference lies only in whether, after launch and passing beyond the 200 km atmosphere from the ground, the vehicle enters the target orbit to deploy a satellite, or continues to ascend to an altitude of 1000 km and then falls back to attack the ground under Earth's gravity. Russia's space launch vehicles, Dnepr and Rokot, are ICBMs that were originally designed to carry nuclear weapons but have been adapted to carry satellites.

However, even if a country develops space launch vehicles, there are many obstacles to developing ICBMs. This is due to the checks imposed by established space powers that entered space first. Thirty-five advanced countries operate the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) to prevent the proliferation of missile technology and block ICBM development.

However, military satellite launches are possible. Currently, only the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, China, and India provide satellite launch services. Among these, South Korea cannot entrust satellite launches to China or India because South Korean satellites contain U.S. technology, and the U.S. prohibits exporting space technology to China and India, making launches there impossible.

The South Korean military plans to develop a Korean-style solid-fuel launch vehicle to deploy ultra-small military reconnaissance satellites, commonly called 'CubeSats.' These can observe objects as small as 1 meter on the ground from an orbit at an altitude of 510 km with high resolution, regardless of day or night or adverse weather conditions. CubeSats have a revisit cycle of 30 minutes, enabling reconnaissance of the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas such as North Korea. Additionally, the military is conducting the '425 Project' to develop five reconnaissance satellites. Two electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) satellites are scheduled to be developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Three high-performance synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites are planned to be developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) in 2024.

Russia is also scheduled to launch Iran's 'Khayyam' satellite next week from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan using a Russian Soyuz rocket. The 'Khayyam' satellite will be equipped with a high-resolution camera capable of accurately identifying objects as small as 1.2 meters. It is likely to be used primarily in the Ukraine war.

A military expert stated, "Ukraine is utilizing various drones provided by the West in the war, but Russia has largely exhausted its domestically developed drones and is facing a shortage of reconnaissance assets."

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