LIG Nex1 is launching the Cheollian 5 (GK5) program, a next-generation geostationary meteorological and space weather satellite. The GK5 program is the first case in which private corporations participate as the lead research and development institution, performing the entire process from satellite bus design to manufacturing, testing, and integration, departing from the existing development model led by the government and government-funded research institutes.
LIG Nex1 said on the 6th that it held a project kickoff meeting on the 4th in Fort Wayne, United States, with L3Harris, a global space and defense corporations, to fully launch the GK5 meteorological payload development program.
Key executives and engineers from both companies attended the meeting to share the development status and schedule. They also discussed concrete cooperation plans, including forming a working group for program management, technical interfaces, quality management systems, and testing and verification procedures. In addition, LIG Nex1 and L3Harris discussed ways to expand and strengthen their cooperation for future programs.
The GK5 meteorological payload will deliver a significant boost in forecast accuracy and timeliness compared with the currently operating Cheollian 2A (GK2A). It will be developed to specialize in observations of the Korean Peninsula and East Asia and to enable tracking of hazardous weather phenomena.
L3Harris is responsible for the core design and development of the meteorological payload, while LIG Nex1 will conduct domestic quality control, performance testing, acceptance verification, and system integration with the satellite bus. Drawing on experience in payload integration and verification, LIG Nex1 plans to strengthen its technological capabilities in optics, electronics, thermal control, and data processing and to establish a foundation for developing domestically produced payloads in the future.
A LIG Nex1 official said, "This will become a key foundation for increasing the localization ratio and raising technological self-reliance in next-generation satellite programs," adding, "Through continuous technological innovation and global cooperation, we will leap forward as an integrated space-solution corporations that encompasses satellite buses, payloads, systems, and data services."