The military reconnaissance satellite No. 4 was successfully launched and successfully entered normal orbit before communicating with the ground station. With success throughout the launch process, domestic defense industry corporations participating in the reconnaissance satellite development demonstrated their capabilities. The main body of the satellite was created by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), while the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) was developed by Hanwha System.
According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 22nd, the launch vehicle "Falcon 9" from the American space company SpaceX, carrying reconnaissance satellite No. 4, was launched at 9:48 a.m. Korea time (8:48 p.m. local time on the 21st) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The reconnaissance satellite No. 4 successfully entered stable orbit after the separation of the first stage and the separation of the second stage of the launch vehicle, and also successfully communicated with the ground station.
Eighteen seconds later, the first stage booster was separated, and 19 seconds after that, the satellite protective cover was separated. Approximately 15 minutes after launch, at around 10:03 a.m., the reconnaissance satellite No. 4 separated from the Falcon 9's second stage booster and settled into its target orbit, successfully communicating with the ground station around 12:27 p.m. It was 2 hours and 39 minutes after the Falcon 9 was launched. The reconnaissance satellite No. 4 is expected to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance missions against North Korea after undergoing operational tests and evaluations over the next few months.
The reconnaissance satellite No. 4 is equipped with SAR. SAR emits electromagnetic waves toward ground targets and synthesizes the signal data reflected by radars to create images. It can accurately capture the ground regardless of day, night, or bad weather, making it widely used for surveillance and reconnaissance.
Hanwha System announced that it manufactured and supplied "the SAR payload," a core component of the reconnaissance satellite No. 4, using its own technology. Shortly after the launch success, Hanwha System issued a press release stating, "With this launch success, we have once again proven our unparalleled SAR satellite technology."
KAI also stated, "With the successful launch of the reconnaissance satellite No. 4, in which KAI played a pivotal role throughout the development, we have demonstrated our satellite development capabilities." Each satellite consists of a system and body as well as payloads such as SAR, with the body being developed by KAI, which has played a key role in development through a prototype manufacturing contract with the Defense Science Research Institute (ADD) since 2018.