The Next-Generation Medium Satellite No. 2, an Earth observation satellite aimed at managing land and resources and responding to disasters, has headed into space.
The Next-Generation Medium Satellite No. 2 was launched at 3:59 p.m. on the 3rd Korea time (11:59 p.m. on the 2nd local time) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carried by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
The satellite is expected to separate from the rocket about 60 minutes after liftoff, around 4:59 p.m..
The Korea AeroSpace Administration said the Next-Generation Medium Satellite No. 2 is scheduled to make initial contact with the Svalbard ground station in Norway about 15 minutes after separating from the rocket.
An initial inspection of the satellite bus and payload will proceed for about two weeks after launch. Image reception and image quality characterization will also be carried out.
This satellite is a medium Earth observation satellite built to secure a 500-kilogram-class standard platform and for transfer of technology to the private sector, and was developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
It weighs 534 kilograms and has ground observation capability to distinguish objects 0.5 meters in black-and-white and 2 meters in color. Its mission life is four years.
It was originally scheduled to launch on a Russian rocket in the second half of 2022, but the schedule was delayed by nearly four years due to the war in Ukraine.