![A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying next-generation medium satellite No. 4. [Provided by SpaceX]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/07/08/news-p.v1.20260708.9d40e81a2ab6492da1111b53772d664c_P1.jpg)
South Korea has launched its independently developed Earth-observation satellite, next-generation medium satellite No. 4, marking another success following the launch of next-generation medium satellite No. 2 in May.
According to the Korea AeroSpace Administration, the satellite lifted off Tuesday at 4:12 p.m. Korean Standard Time aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
About two hours and 30 minutes after launch, the satellite separated from the rocket at an altitude of approximately 888 kilometers. Twenty-three minutes later, at 7:05 p.m., it established first contact with a ground station in Svalbard, Norway. Six hours and 38 minutes after launch, at 10:50 p.m. Korean Standard Time, it made first contact with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute ground station in Daejeon.
During the first contact with the Daejeon ground station, engineers confirmed whether the solar panels had deployed successfully and checked the satellite's onboard systems for anomalies. Additional contacts are planned to deploy the X-band antenna, activate the attitude control system actuators and conduct functional checks.
The satellite weighs 514 kilograms and carries an optical payload capable of distinguishing objects as small as 5 meters in color imagery. It can photograph the entire country on a three-day cycle. The data will be applied directly to agriculture and forestry management, forest change monitoring, disaster response, climate change analysis and public safety — including crop growth analysis and wildfire surveillance.
After an initial operations phase, the satellite is set to begin full-scale missions in 2027, providing data for agriculture and forestry observation as well as disaster response, including wildfires.
The satellite is particularly significant in that it was developed under private-sector leadership, drawing on the standard platform established during the development of next-generation medium satellites No. 1 and No. 2. Industry led the entire process — from satellite design and manufacturing to testing and verification — raising the overall capability of South Korea's domestic satellite development sector.
Korea AeroSpace Administration chief Oh Tae-seok said the launch "greatly strengthened the competitiveness of private-sector-led satellite development and the nation's capacity to utilize satellite data by independently securing imagery and data needed for agriculture, forestry, climate and disaster response." He added that the agency would work to identify domestic and international satellite launch demand and further expand the use of Korean launch vehicles.
Next-generation medium satellite No. 1, launched in 2021, was developed under the leadership of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and provides ultra-precision optical observation services for land management and disaster response. Next-generation medium satellite No. 3, which rode the Nuri rocket into space last year, is tasked with verifying space science and technology, while No. 2, successfully launched in May, will provide ultra-precision observation imagery for flood damage assessment, land management and disaster response.
nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com
