South Korea's first privately-owned commercial Earth observation satellite developed with purely Korean technology has successfully launched itself.
Hanwha Systems announced that it successfully launched its indigenously developed and manufactured "Small Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Satellite" from the sea south of Jeju Island at 2:00 p.m. on December 4.
The launch of the Hanwha Systems "Small SAR Satellite" demonstrates South Korea's technological prowess in the field of satellite manufacturing and launch, which has been highly dependent on foreign countries, and is significant in that it marks the country's first localization in a field where space powers have controlled foreign exports to maintain technological supremacy.
The launch vehicle is based on the solid launch vehicle and orbital entry technology previously developed by the government, and was achieved by combining the technical support of the Korean government and the technical capabilities of private companies.
Hanwha Systems is currently awaiting the first communication between the satellite and the ground station at the Yongin Research Center's satellite control center.
Hanwha Systems plans to use the small SAR satellite to create various added values, including environmental monitoring through high-resolution satellite image analysis for B2G-B2B, data analysis for Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, and automatic fusion and analysis of satellite image information.
The small SAR satellite developed by Hanwha Systems is different from ordinary satellites in that its payload, main body, and solar panels are integrated. It is designed to integrate a large number of electronics into one and carry as much as possible on a launch vehicle, which is expected to significantly reduce launch costs.
"Hanwha Systems will expand its business scope to develop, manufacture, launch, control, and service privately-owned satellites and grow into a representative satellite company in the K-space industry," said Lee Sung-Cheol, CEO of Hanwha Systems.
