The fifth and final satellite of the April 25 project, aimed at securing medium- and large-size reconnaissance satellites for the South Korean military, will be launched in the United States on the 2nd of next month.
The Ministry of National Defense said on the 31st that the military reconnaissance satellite No. 5 is scheduled to launch at about 2 p.m. on Nov. 2, Korea time, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If the No. 5 launch also succeeds, the South Korean military will be able to quickly and accurately identify signs of North Korean provocation through cluster operation of a total of five reconnaissance satellites, and in particular will be able to monitor and reconnoiter specific targets in North Korea at two-hour intervals.
The April 25 project takes its name from the acronyms of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and electro-optical (EO). Reconnaissance satellite No. 1 was launched on Dec. 2, 2023, and has been carrying out its mission normally since Aug. last year. Nos. 2 and 3 were launched on Apr. 8 and Dec. 21, respectively, last year. No. 4 was launched on Apr. 22 and is awaiting a results determination after test evaluation.
Like Nos. 2–5, No. 5 is also equipped with SAR. It can image day and night regardless of weather conditions. No. 1 is equipped with EO and infrared (IR) imaging equipment. Because EO equipment directly captures ground images using visible light, it can secure sharp images, but its mission is limited on heavily cloudy days due to weather effects.
Chang Gyu-heon, head of the Future Power Program Group at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said, "Even after securing the military reconnaissance satellite system, we will push forward in a timely manner with the research and development project for an ultra-small satellite system currently under development," and added, "We will work to secure launch site facilities and launch vehicle technology to ensure conditions for conducting space operations."