South Korea’s Spy Satellite vs. North Korea’s Aerial Arsenal – Part 1

The difference is 10 times between North Korea 3㎡ and South Korea 0.3㎡
30 minutes of surveillance period on North Korea for the launch of 40 ultra-small planes
North Korea won’t release the filming video, so the performance is unknown
Projectile thrust system high technical threat

“It can identify objects on the ground as small as 3 centimeters. It can track even the license plates of North Korean tanks, enabling us to monitor Kim Jong Un as if we were looking at the palm of our hand,”

An official from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), who participated in developing the first military reconnaissance satellite, explained the precision of producing the first electromagnetic optics (EO) camera. Our military’s first reconnaissance satellite was successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in December last year on Falcon 9. After an operational test evaluation in mid-April, inspecting and monitoring major targets in North Korea will start from June to July.

Before this, North Korea also succeeded in entering the Malligyong-1, a military reconnaissance satellite developed by the National Aerospace Development Administration of North Korea, into a standard orbit on November 21, after two failures in May and August last year. The 18th Space Defense Squadron of the U.S. Space Force and the International Space Research Committee confirmed this by assigning the satellite number (SATCAT) 58400 and the artificial satellite identification number (COSPAR ID) 2023/179A to Malligyong-1.

Although the resolution is low, the satellite is operating normally. The Korean Central News Agency reported on December 1 that it will carry out official reconnaissance missions through Malligyong-1.

With the successful launch of their military reconnaissance satellites, South and North Korea have begun the prologue to a space information competition surrounding the Korean Peninsula. A fire has been lit in the competition between the South and the North over the military use of space. So, what is the difference in the level of reconnaissance satellites between the South Korean and North Korean military?

The surface processing error of the reflecting lens is 10cm only

According to KARI, our military’s first reconnaissance satellite is highly precise and only allows a surface processing error of the reflecting lens equivalent to the height of a speed bump when stretched from our country to LA (Los Angeles) in the U.S. In other words, the distance from our country to LA is about 6,213.71 miles, and the error level is only about 3.93 inches, which means that ultra-precision identification is possible.

However, in the case of Unit 1, equipped with electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) shooting equipment, EO equipment can secure clear images because it directly takes images on the ground using visible light, but its mission performance is limited on cloudy days due to the influence of the weather. IR equipment can acquire image information using infrared detection sensors classified according to temperature differences and take pictures at night.

Therefore, the EO/IR satellite (1st satellite) can shoot day and night, but it has the limitation that it can be affected by weather conditions. To compensate for this, the military authorities launched the second reconnaissance satellite and put it into full operation.

The second satellite synthesizes signal data that is reflected and returned after shooting electromagnetic waves at ground targets by equipping a high-performance image radar (SAR) to shoot day and night regardless of weather conditions. Thus, images can be secured 24 hours a day, regardless of the weather. This establishes a more thorough eye, a surveillance network for North Korea.

A defense ministry official said, “While the EO/IR satellite can revisit the Korean Peninsula twice a day, the SAR satellite can visit and shoot 4-6 times a day, which is more than twice as often.”

To Read Part 2…
To Read Part 3…
To Read Part 4…