– Launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the U.S. to an 888 km Sun-synchronous Orbit
The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA, Administrator Taeseog Oh), the Rural Development Administration (Administrator Seungdon Lee), and the Korea Forest Service (Administrator Eun-sik Park) announced that the Next Generation Medium Satellite No. 4 (CAS500-4) will be launched at 4:10 p.m. KST on July 7 (Tue) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, U.S.
CAS500-4 has successfully completed all pre-launch preparations, including functional checks and propellant fueling, over the past approximately 30 days at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The satellite is currently mounted on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and awaiting launch.
Approximately 2 hours and 22 minutes after launch, CAS500-4 will separate from the launch vehicle. About 31 minutes later (approximately 2 hours and 53 minutes after launch), it is scheduled to establish its first communication link with the Svalbard Ground Station in Norway. This communication will confirm whether the satellite has successfully entered its target orbit.
Equipped with a payload developed using Korea’s core technologies, CAS500-4 will be capable of capturing images of the entire country every three days using its wide-area observation camera. The satellite is expected to be utilized in various fields, including agricultural and forest management, forest change monitoring, disaster and emergency response, climate change analysis, and enhancement of public safety.
Following launch, CAS500-4 will undergo an initial operation phase of approximately four months in an orbit at an altitude of about 888 km and is scheduled to begin full-scale mission operations in the first half of 2027.
The launch of CAS500-4 will be broadcast live through KASA’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@kasamedia) and other platforms such as Korea’s Naver CHZZK.