Inside South Korea’s $9 Billion Satellite Project: High-Tech Way to Monitor North Korea’s Nukes

South Korea’s third military reconnaissance satellite, successfully launched last Saturday, was shipped to the United States from Incheon Airport in late October. After approximately two months of final inspections and assembly, the satellite finally launched into space. The third reconnaissance satellite will work alongside the first and second satellites, which were previously launched, and the fourth and fifth satellites, set for launch next year, to monitor North Korea’s nuclear missile provocations and other movements in detail.

The development of South Korea’s reconnaissance satellites began in 2003, 20 years ago. Despite initial planning and cancellations, the project was finally approved in 2013 by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s Defense Project Promotion Committee. However, the program experienced delays due to inter-agency negotiations and contractor selection, with development officially beginning in 2018. The 425 Project project involves a $9 billion budget to launch five reconnaissance satellites. The name reflects the satellite’s imaging equipment: Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Electro-Optical (EO) systems. Initially, there were doubts about the project’s success, but the launches of the first satellite in December 2022 and the second satellite in April 2023 marked South Korea’s significant entry into space.

SpaceX provided the launch services for the third satellite, like the first one. Launching a satellite requires a launch vehicle and a launch site, and SpaceX chose its Falcon 9 rocket and the SLC-4 launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SLC-4, which has been used to launch rockets like Atlas and Titan since 1964, was leased by SpaceX in 2011 and is now exclusively used for Falcon 9 launches.

The satellite entered its target orbit at approximately 9:24 p.m. and successfully established communication with the ground station by 11:30 p.m. Over the next two weeks, it will undergo tests for solar panel and antenna deployment, platform functionality verification, and operational mode checks before being integrated into military operations—the South Korean military plans to launch the fourth and fifth satellites next year.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense stated, “When five reconnaissance satellites, which orbit the Earth dozens of times per day, are operated simultaneously, specific targets within North Korea can be monitored and reconnoitered at two-hour intervals.”

Using imaging equipment such as SAR and EO, these satellites will enable more detailed monitoring of North Korea. SAR uses radar to send electromagnetic signals to ground targets and synthesizes the reflected signals to produce images, allowing continuous imaging regardless of weather conditions, day or night. EO uses visible light to capture highly readable images but is limited in cloudy or nighttime conditions. Infrared (IR) imaging equipment detects heat signatures, enabling nighttime and thermal imaging. These three complementary methods will allow for a comprehensive identification of North Korean provocations.

Cluster operations, where multiple satellites work together, enhance the ability to observe objects on the ground from various angles and improve situational awareness. This collaborative approach allows faster responses when monitoring specific areas and ensures that remaining satellites can compensate in case of a malfunction.

“This marks South Korea’s first case of developing and operating a satellite cluster. It is expected to stimulate South Korea’s space industry and infrastructure development and secure talent in the space sector,” the South Korean Ministry of Defense added.