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.
