The launch of the multipurpose practical satellite, Arirang 6, has been postponed from the fourth quarter of this year to the first quarter of next year.
According to the Korea Aerospace Administration and others on the 16th, the European space launch vehicle corporation Arianespace recently notified that the launch schedule for Arirang 6 would be delayed to the first quarter of next year.
Arirang 6 is a high-resolution observation satellite with a resolution of 50 cm that was originally scheduled to be launched on a Russian Angara rocket in the second half of 2022. However, the launch was postponed due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, making the use of Russian launch vehicles impossible.
The government chose Arianespace's "Vega C" as an alternative launch vehicle in 2023, but the launch has been continuously delayed due to safety issues with Vega C. The launch was expected to take place in the fourth quarter of this year, but the launch of Arirang 6 has also been delayed due to the development delay of the Italian Space Agency's satellite, Platin-1, which is to be carried together with Vega C.
The launch of Arirang 7, scheduled for around October this year, is expected to proceed as planned.