'Arirang Satellite 3 Over Its Lifespan... Operation on Edge Due to Replacement Delay'

National Assembly Science and ICT Committee Member Park Wan-joo Points Out
Ministry of Science and ICT: "Safe by Using Alternative Parts"

▲The Multipurpose Practical Satellite 3A will be launched on the 26th. [Photo by Korea Aerospace Research Institute]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] It has been revealed that South Korea's third multipurpose practical satellite has been operating precariously without retirement, despite exceeding its mission lifespan, due to delays in replacement launches.

According to Park Wan-joo, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Communication Committee (Chungnam Cheonan), the launches of Arirang 6 and 7 have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, causing delays in the replacement schedule for Arirang 3, 3A, and 5, which have exceeded their mission lifespans.

The government currently operates Arirang 3, 3A, and 5 satellites, all of which have surpassed their originally designed mission lifespans. Arirang 3 and 3A have been in operation for 10 years and 5 months and 7 years and 6 months respectively, exceeding 4 years, while Arirang 5 has been operating for 9 years and 1 month, nearly double its 5-year mission lifespan.

The mission lifespan of a satellite is determined based on the design limits it can withstand and the mission requirements it must satisfy. Typically, if fuel remains, there is no damage, and components are redundantly designed, the lifespan can be extended. Accordingly, the government has extended the operation of Arirang 3, 3A, and 5 satellites until next year through the Multipurpose Practical Satellite Development Project Promotion Committee.

The problem is that frequent errors are occurring in these satellites that have exceeded their mission lifespans. Arirang 3 experienced a total of three errors: one each in the transmitter, receiver, and power distribution device; Arirang 5 had one error in the S-Band downlink; and Arirang 3A had seven errors in total, including one in the S-Band uplink, five in the S-Band downlink, and one in the power distribution device.

The Ministry of Science and ICT maintains that there are no issues. Some key components of the satellites are redundantly designed, so if an error occurs in the primary component, it can switch to a backup component for continued use.

Moreover, the development and launch of new satellites to replace these mission-lifespan-exceeded satellites have been delayed, creating a precarious situation. The government plans to invest a total of 886.7 billion KRW to launch Arirang 6, 7, and 7A. However, the launch of Arirang 6 has been postponed from November 2019 to December this year due to manufacturing defects, delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and international sanctions related to the Russia-Ukraine war. The launch of Arirang 7 has also been delayed by two years, from December last year to December next year.

The multipurpose practical satellite Arirang plays an important role in national safety and security by performing real-time observation of abnormal weather and precise imaging of regions of high military interest. There are calls for thorough management to ensure there is no satellite gap.

Assemblyman Park emphasized, “In the space environment where unforeseen situations can occur, the satellites are operating beyond their optimal mission lifespans, raising concerns about potential gaps in the Earth observation satellite network,” and added, “Efforts must be made to ensure timely replacement with follow-up satellites Arirang 6, 7, and 7A.”

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