South Korea will launch its second domestically-made military spy satellite from a US space center on April 8, as the country seeks to boost its independent monitoring capabilities on North Korea.
The satellite is scheduled to lift off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, at 7:17 p.m. local time on April 7 (6:17 a.m. on April 8 Vietnam time), on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
This is the second military satellite launched under South Korea's plan to have five medium- and large-sized spy satellites by 2025 to more effectively monitor Pyongyang.
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South Korea’s first spy satellite – equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors to capture detailed images of the Earth’s surface – was launched into orbit from a US Space Force base in California aboard a SpaceX rocket in December last year. It has been sending back high-resolution images of Pyongyang and is expected to enter full mission mode in early June.
The next satellite will be equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor to collect microwave data and will be capable of collecting data regardless of weather conditions. The remaining three satellites will also be equipped with SAR sensors.
In addition to these five satellites, South Korean defense authorities are reportedly working to acquire around 50 to 60 small and micro reconnaissance satellites by 2030, which are expected to provide data on the Korean Peninsula every 30 minutes or less. The latest launch comes as North Korea seeks to acquire space-based reconnaissance capabilities.
According to VNA/Tin Tuc Newspaper
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