[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Can North Korea's Satellite Observe the Earth?

Interest in the resolution of satellites is increasing as North Korea has announced plans to launch a military reconnaissance satellite in the near future. If North Korea acquires advanced reconnaissance capabilities, most of our military assets could effectively be exposed.

The Kwangmyongsong-3, which North Korea successfully launched in February last year. Photo by Chosun Central TV

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On the 19th, North Korea's Korean Central Broadcasting reported that “Chairman Kim Jong-un personally guided the National Space Development Agency and ordered the launch of the ‘Military Reconnaissance Satellite No. 1’ within the planned timeframe.”

Kim also presented the combat task of “deploying multiple reconnaissance satellites in various configurations to firmly establish the capability of intelligence collection through satellites.”

This implies that several launch vehicles could be launched starting with the No. 1 satellite. Although North Korea has previously claimed to have launched experimental satellites, practical satellites, and Earth observation satellites, this is the first time they are launching a reconnaissance satellite.

However, most assessments of North Korea’s reconnaissance satellite performance are generally negative. The prevailing analysis is that it remains difficult for North Korea to develop satellites equipped with advanced reconnaissance capabilities.

The satellite unveiled by North Korea this time is estimated to weigh between 200 and 300 kg and is believed to be equipped with reconnaissance optical cameras. Considering that North Korea launched a 100 kg payload satellite, ‘Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2,’ into Earth orbit using the Unha-3 rocket on December 12, 2012, the weight of this satellite is also within a feasible launch range.

North Korea has also released Earth images taken directly during tests for reconnaissance satellite development. After the ‘final stage important test’ last December, they reported photos of the Seoul and Incheon areas taken with a camera having ‘20m resolution’ (capable of identifying objects on the ground as small as 20 meters).

Experts have described this as “rudimentary.” The general evaluation remains that the likelihood of North Korea operating a high-performance satellite and possessing the know-how to effectively utilize it is still low. Regarding this, Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers’ Party, rebutted by saying, “Who uses a high-resolution camera for a one-time test?” and claimed that the ‘final stage test’ was to test other functions necessary for operating the camera.

This year, North Korea launched the Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 ICBMs and released photos of the Earth. It is presumed that these photos were taken by cameras mounted on the warhead, and through this, they tested functions and data transmission capabilities required for reconnaissance satellite imaging.

Meanwhile, our Nuriho-3 rocket is scheduled to launch the ‘Next-Generation Small Satellite No. 2,’ developed with domestic technology. The Next-Generation Small Satellite No. 2, with a total length of 5.2 meters, will orbit at an altitude of 550 km for two years, performing Earth observation missions. It will operate a domestically produced small synthetic aperture radar (SAR). SAR can observe the ground day and night without being affected by light or clouds. Its maximum resolution is 5 meters, and the observation swath is 40 km.

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