The Micro Reconnaissance Satellite Market Also Gains Attention... 8 Billion KRW Per Satellite

Our Military Develops Reconnaissance Satellite Capable of Imaging Below Clouds Using Radar
For North Korea Surveillance... Potential for Commercial Use Expansion
Development Cost About 1/30th of Large Satellites
Finland's Iceye Already Selling Commercial Images

The Korean launch vehicle Nuriho (KSLV-II), designed and manufactured entirely with domestic technology, is soaring into space with flames bursting from the launch pad at Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do on the 21st. Unlike the first launch, which carried only a dummy satellite with no actual function, the second launch of Nuriho this time included a performance verification satellite and four CubeSats. / Goheung = Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Our military began developing solid-fuel propulsion launch vehicles last May after the Korea-US missile guidelines were lifted. In July of the same year, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) succeeded in testing the combustion of a solid-fuel engine for space launch vehicles. The military is planning the 425 Project using solid-fuel space launch vehicles. The 425 Project refers to the plan to launch one optical reconnaissance satellite and four ultra-small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) reconnaissance satellites in 2025 using solid-fuel satellite launch vehicles. Generally, satellites weighing less than 500 kg are classified as small satellites, and those under 100 kg as ultra-small satellites, but the satellites launched through the 425 Project are large satellites. Reconnaissance aircraft like the Global Hawk are reconnaissance and surveillance assets capable of overcoming blind spots caused by the Earth's curvature and camera characteristics.

However, it is difficult to monitor North Korea 24 hours a day with only large satellites. With five reconnaissance satellites, there will inevitably be gaps in coverage. Electro-optical (EO) cameras also have the disadvantage of being unable to take pictures when it is cloudy or during bad weather.

To overcome this, the military has decided to develop and launch 32 ultra-small reconnaissance satellites. A total of 19.8 billion KRW will be invested over four years until November 2023. Ultra-small reconnaissance satellites are SAR satellites that emit radar waves to penetrate clouds and take pictures, making them all-weather satellites. Combining large satellites with ultra-small reconnaissance satellites allows reconnaissance of North Korean territory at intervals of 10 to 20 minutes. The ultra-small satellites disclosed by ADD last year are also inexpensive. One large satellite costs about 240 billion KRW, but one ultra-small satellite is around 8 billion KRW.

The ultra-small reconnaissance satellites revealed by the Agency for Defense Development measure 3 meters in width and 70 cm in height. They have a resolution of about 1 meter and weigh only 66 cm. However, regardless of day or night and bad weather, they can observe objects as small as 1 meter on the ground from an altitude of 510 km orbit with high resolution. Their lifespan is 2 to 3 years.

There are many challenges to overcome. Our military’s ultra-small reconnaissance satellites must pass verification processes before mass production and deployment. Considering that overseas companies such as the US’s Capella and Finland’s Iceye have already launched ultra-small SAR satellites with resolutions of 50 cm to 1 m and sell commercial images, technology transfer from foreign companies is worth considering.

Recently, Iceye announced that it would propose the sale of SAR radar image satellites to our military or suggest ways to manage them on their behalf. Iceye attracted market attention by providing information on Russian troop movements via satellites during the Ukraine war.

In 2018, Iceye succeeded in launching the world’s first SAR satellite under 100 kg, Iceye-X1, and currently owns a total of 16 satellites. It is the largest scale in the world with only ultra-small SAR satellites. In May 2022, it also launched a satellite for the Brazilian Air Force.

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