The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) said it succeeded in launching the "microsatellite cluster demonstrator," regarded as a key step toward building a microsatellite cluster system. After reaching orbit according to the planned procedures from a launch site in New Zealand, the satellite made initial contact with a domestic ground station, confirming that basic functions, including power generation, were operating normally.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration said the microsatellite cluster demonstrator was successfully launched at 10:21 a.m. on Jan. 30 (2:21 p.m. local time) from the Mahia launch site in New Zealand. The launch was carried out by Rocket Lab.
The launch was originally scheduled for Dec. 10 last year but was postponed twice, and the final launch took place after Rocket Lab completed corrective measures, it said. On launch day, the liftoff time was delayed by about 26 minutes, from 9:55 a.m. to 10:21 a.m., due to a data recheck, but the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) added that it was a normal procedure conducted within the pre-secured launch window.
The satellite made initial contact with a domestic ground station within the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) at 1:12 p.m. (5:12 p.m. local time), 2 hours and 51 minutes after liftoff. During this process, it was finally confirmed that the solar panels deployed normally and were stably generating power, indicating that the overall condition of the satellite was sound.
According to the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), KAIST plans to test the satellite's performance and check the quality of its imagery over the next six months, based on the demonstrator's successful insertion into its target orbit. Full-scale Earth observation missions will begin in July.
The demonstrator was pursued as part of the "microsatellite cluster system development project." Aiming to conduct high-frequency, high-resolution monitoring of the Korean Peninsula and surrounding waters to respond swiftly to national security needs as well as disaster and calamity situations, it is an operational Earth-observation satellite developed by the KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center with support from the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA). KAIST led the project and co-developed the satellite system with Satrec Initiative, while KARI handled development of the ground system and the calibration, validation, and utilization systems. The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) said the demonstrator will serve to pre-verify the image quality of satellites to be mass-produced in the future.
The microsatellite cluster demonstrator aims to provide optical imagery at 1-meter resolution in black-and-white and 4-meter resolution in color for more than three years. Additional follow-on satellites are scheduled to be launched on the Nuri rocket, with five in 2026 and five in 2027, for a total of 10 to be operated as a cluster.
Kim Jin-hee, head of the satellite division, said, "The on-orbit verification results obtained through this successful launch will greatly help improve cluster formation and technical completeness for subsequent mass-produced satellites," adding, "The government will continue to develop and launch the mass-produced satellites without delay to strengthen the nation's space technology capabilities and steadily enhance the competitiveness of the space industry."