This undated file image shows satellites orbiting the Earth. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea plans to develop a microsatellite system by 2030 under a 1.42 trillion-won (US$1.13 billion) project aimed at bolstering capabilities to monitor the Korean Peninsula and nearby waters, the arms procurement agency said Thursday.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) outlined the inter-agency plan in a meeting with the science ministry, the Coast Guard and the National Intelligence Service in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul.
The project aims to develop and run a group of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites and electro optic satellites by 2030 to acquire information on the peninsula and its nearby waters, so as to prepare against maritime and other emergencies, according to DAPA.
The government plans to select companies by the first half of this year to produce a SAR prototype and test-launch it in the second half of 2026. After the testing period, it seeks to start launching satellites in 2028.
“As the microsatellite system’s development gets under way in earnest, it will be possible to swiftly acquire video information regarding North Korean nuclear threats and crisis situations in waters near the Korean Peninsula,” DAPA said in a statement.
The government has been pushing for the project in an inter-agency format to ensure the effective management of space-based national assets when they are deployed in the future, according to DAPA.
(Yonhap)
