"While researching the core technology of drones in a university laboratory, I established a special drone corporation that could utilize this technology. Also, my interest in environmental issues grew while performing missions using drones, and recently I developed a satellite called PERSAT to observe coastal waste."
Song Yong-kyu, the CEO of Quaternion, noted in an interview with ChosunBiz held at the Korea Aerospace University research building on the 9th that Quaternion is a drone startup that develops and supplies the hardware and software of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Quaternion was established in May 2018 based on research outcomes from Professor Song Yong-kyu of Korea Aerospace University. In February of this year, the self-developed satellite 'PERSAT' was selected as a secondary payload for the Nuri rocket's fourth and fifth launches.
Quaternion primarily produces special drones required for missions by public institutions. Types of drones include those for meteorological observations, safety monitoring tethered drones, and flow rate measurement drones for flood preparedness.
Recently, the satellite PERSAT was also developed. This was because my interest in climate change grew while monitoring coastlines using special drones. CEO Song stated, "I thought that observing marine debris from a higher vantage point could help address more fundamental issues, which is why I developed the satellite."
The basic principles of drones and satellites being similar also sparked the satellite development. CEO Song said, "The fundamental software principles, such as taking images and communicating remotely and operating and functioning independently, are similar, which allowed us to integrate drone technology to develop the satellite."
The PERSAT satellite is of 3U size (10cm × 10cm × 30cm) with an expected weight of 3 kg, equipped with a high-resolution marine observation sensor for monitoring marine environments. The collected data is sent to ground observation stations, where it is used to identify current patterns and areas of debris concentration.
The satellite PERSAT was selected as a secondary payload for the Nuri rocket's fourth and fifth launches based on Quaternion's core technology on Feb. 11 of this year.
CEO Song viewed the reason why PERSAT could be selected as a secondary payload as its successful passage through the thermal vacuum chamber test and the vibration test.
CEO Song explained, "PERSAT proved its excellence by demonstrating that it could withstand the extreme temperature differences of space and the vibrations of the Nuri rocket launch through the two tests."
Recalling the moment of selection, CEO Song expressed, "As someone studying aerospace, I was very pleased with the thought, 'My star is in space.'"
Quaternion plans to develop technologies that can monitor various environmental issues, including wildfires, fine dust, and red tides, in the future.
CEO Song stated, "Recently, many environmental issues arising from climate change, such as wildfires, are occurring. We plan to expand drone technology to prevent wildfires through meteorological observations and to address issues like marine debris through maritime monitoring."