Nara Space said on the 1st that it launched Gyeonggisat-1, the first optical satellite for climate monitoring, at 3:44 a.m. on the 29th (10:44 p.m. on the 28th local time) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
About an hour after liftoff, it successfully separated into orbit, and immediately after deployment, the first two-way communication with the satellite control center at Nara Space's headquarters in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, was carried out smoothly.
Gyeonggisat-1 is a climate satellite promoted to secure climate and environmental information, led by a local government for the first time in Korea. It is equipped with an optics-based multispectral camera, collects visible and near-infrared imagery, and through this, Gyeonggi Province will secure practical data for policy sites such as disaster and hazard monitoring, urban change detection, and analysis of rice cultivation areas.
It will also be used as infrastructure to improve Gyeonggi Province's climate response policies and environmental monitoring system by linking it with Gyeonggisat-2A and 2B for greenhouse gas observation, scheduled for launch next year.
With this successful communication, Nara Space proved the reliability of its satellite platform operations and verified the stability of its mass production system for very small satellites. As Observer-1A, launched in 2023, continues stable orbital operations for a second year, Nara Space has secured a second Space Heritage for its own platform.
With this as a starting point, the company has begun a full-fledged constellation satellite operations system. In addition to the Gyeonggisat series, it plans to build and operate a total of 84 very small constellation satellites, including the Observer series and the Narsha series for methane observation, by 2031. Through this, it plans to expand satellite imaging services capable of high-frequency, continuous observation across industry and the public sector.
Chief Executive Park Jae-pil of Nara Space said, "Gyeonggisat-1 goes beyond a single satellite launch to serve as a case that verified our satellite mass production system and constellation operation capabilities," adding, "In the new space era, where speed and scale are key, we will create a turning point for a constellation satellite era led by private corporations."