Challenges the Domestic Microsatellite Industry

Launch of 21 Ultra-Small SAR Satellites Creating the World's Largest Network
Providing Real-Time Satellite Data to Brazil, Ukraine, and Others

Jeon Wan-gi, head of ICEYE Korea business division, which produces microsatellites, is explaining the satellite. (Photo by CPR)

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] ICEYE, a producer of microsatellites, has thrown down the gauntlet in the domestic market.

Jeon Wanki, Head of ICEYE Korea, said at a briefing held at the Ministry of National Defense Army Hall on the 23rd, "We plan to promote cooperation between companies and the government for the future of Korea's aerospace industry."

The domestic cooperation project mentioned by ICEYE refers to the additional launch of 32 microsatellites planned by our military. Known as the 425 project, the satellites launched so far can conduct reconnaissance of North Korea at two-hour intervals, so the plan is to launch additional microsatellites to reduce the reconnaissance interval to 10 to 20 minutes.

ICEYE has been recognized for its capabilities in the global market through its microsatellite business. After successfully launching ICEYE-X1 in 2018, the world's first SAR satellite under 100 kg, it now owns a total of 21 satellites. Each satellite orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, focusing on areas of interest. It is the world's largest scale of microsatellite SAR satellites currently in use. In May, it also launched a satellite for the Brazilian Air Force. During the Ukraine war, it attracted market attention by providing information on Russian troop movements via satellite.

The advantage of ICEYE's microsatellites is that they are ultra-lightweight (under 100 kg), making production costs cheaper than medium and large satellites. While medium and large satellites cost over 200 billion KRW each on average, microsatellites cost around 8 billion KRW. This economic advantage is expected to be applied to the Korean market.

ICEYE explained, "SAR satellites are not only for military use but can also generate risk data within 24 hours after floods, reducing losses for civilians."

ICEYE is currently developing its 4th generation SAR satellites. While the 3rd generation satellites boast a resolution of about 50 cm, the 4th generation SAR can observe ground objects at up to 25 cm resolution. The bandwidth is also doubled from the 3rd generation to 1200 MHz. The memory capacity for downlink is about five times larger than the 3rd generation, equipped with up to 1 TB of memory.

Jeon, Head of Korea Business, said, "Based on ICEYE's experience and technology as the owner of the world's largest SAR microsatellite fleet, we plan to actively cooperate in Korea's space business." He also emphasized that small SAR satellites are suitable for the 'new space era.' Dr. Jeon pointed out advantages such as △private-led development △small spacecraft and satellites △system simplification △low cost, adding, "ICEYE is the satellite suitable for the Korean market."

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