South Korea To Launch The Fifth Spy Satellite From The US Cape Canaveral On Sunday

JAKARTA – South Korea will launch its fifth domestically made military spy satellite from the United States space base this weekend, the Defense Ministry said on Friday, in a move that is expected to strengthen its independent surveillance capabilities against North Korea.

The synthetic apertur radar spy satellite (SAR) will launch around 01.00 a.m. Sunday (US time) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to the Ministry.

The satellite is the fifth and last military satellite launched under the country’s plans to deploy five spy satellites by the end of the year, to better monitor North Korea and help reduce its dependence on the image of the US satellites.

“Operating a total of five reconnaissance satellites in one cluster will allow the detection of signs of North Korea’s faster and more accurate provocation,” the ministry said in a statement, anticipating these satellites would help strengthen the three-axis military prevention structure.

After the five satellites are placed in orbit, the Ginseng Country is expected to be able to monitor North Korea every two hours.

South Korea launched its first spy satellite in December 2023, equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors capable of capturing detailed images. Since then, South Korea has launched three more satellites equipped with SAR sensors collecting data regardless of weather conditions.

On the other hand, Pyongyang has also stepped up efforts to acquire space-based reconnaissance capabilities against its enemies.

North Korea successfully launched its first military spy satellite, Malligyong-1, in November 2023 and has pledged to launch three more spy satellites by 2024.

However, North Korea has not launched another spy satellite since a rocket carrying a satellite exploded shortly after taking off in May last year.

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