– Successfully Separated Approximately 2 Hours and 30 Minutes After Launch and Confirmed to be in Good Condition
– First Communication with the Svalbard Ground Station in Norway Successfully Completed at 7:05 p.m. KST on July 7
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) was successfully launched at 4:12 p.m. KST on July 7 (Tue) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, U.S.
Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes after launch, the CAS500-4 Satellite successfully separated from the launch vehicle at an altitude of about 888 km. About 23 minutes later (approximately 2 hours and 53 minutes after launch), it successfully established its first communication link with the Svalbard Ground Station in Norway at 7:05 p.m. KST. During the initial operation phase, two overseas ground stations (the Svalbard Ground Station in Norway and King Sejong Station in Antarctica) will be utilized.
Through communication with the ground station, KASA confirmed that the CAS500-4 Satellite is in good condition and successfully entered its Sun-synchronous orbit.
With a wide observation swath of 120 km and a resolution of 5 m, the CAS500-4 Satellite is optimized for agricultural observation and forest information monitoring on the Korean Peninsula, enabling it to capture images of the entire country every three days and generate image data.
The CAS500-4 Satellite holds significant importance as it was developed under private sector leadership utilizing the standard platform secured through the development processes of the previous CAS500-1 and CAS500-2 Satellites. Through this project, industry led the entire process from satellite design and manufacturing to testing and verification, further enhancing Korea’s capabilities in the satellite development industry.
Rural Development Administration Administrator Lee stated, “This success marks an important turning point for Korean agriculture as it advances beyond experience and intuition toward data-driven precision agriculture,” adding, “It has opened a new era in which agriculture can be monitored from space based on the national agricultural observation system.” He further emphasized, “By integrating satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI), we will further advance crop yield forecasting and agricultural disaster response while realizing digital agriculture that farmers can experience in the field.”
Korea Forest Service Administrator Park stated, “Through the CAS500-4 Satellite, we will rapidly and accurately observe forests to proactively respond to forest disasters such as wildfires and landslides and realize scientific forest management amid the climate crisis.” He added, “As a new starting point for leading the digital and AI transformation of Korea’s forest administration, we will drive tangible changes felt by the public while taking the lead in international cooperation with 121 countries worldwide.”
KASA Administrator Oh stated, “The CAS500-4 Satellite is an important achievement that has expanded private sector-led satellite development capabilities based on a 500 kg-class standard platform.” He added, “By independently securing satellite image data necessary for agriculture, forests, climate, and disaster response, we have significantly strengthened Korea’s competitiveness in private sector-led satellite development and national satellite information utilization capabilities.” He further stated, “We will identify domestic and international demand for satellite launches and further expand the utilization of Korean launch vehicles.”