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BEYOND

THE

SKIES

The private sector plays a major

role as South Korea builds up its
military space capabilities

By ARUN SIVASANKARAN

o eye-catching has been the growth of Spy Satellites
the South Korean indigenous defence
industry and its entry into the list of top Even as it develops its indigenous space capabilities, Seoul has been
S ten exporters of weapons in the world working with partner nations to place satellites in orbit using for-
that it is easy to miss the progress the country’s eign launchers. In April last year, the country signed a contract with
space program has made. SpaceX to launch five spy satellites by 2025. The U.S.-based com-
pany, which launched South Korea’s first communications satellite in
2020, is expected to put Seoul’s first spy satellite, an 800-kilogram
Due to the missile restriction guidelines imposed electro-optical infrared satellite, to low Earth orbit later this year.
by the United States in 1979, South Korea had
been prohibited from developing rockets The launch of the spy satellites is a crucial piece of the ‘425 project,’
capable of conducting geospatial intelligence a space-based reconnaissance initiative South Korea launched
activities. In June 2021, the U.S. lifted the missile in 2018 to monitor North Korea’s military activities. The plan is to
guideline imposed on South Korea, giving it the launch four synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites and one fea-
freedom to expand its missile and space force turing an electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) telescope into low Earth
capabilities. The country’s space program has orbit between 600 and 700 km by 2025. According to a 2019 report
taken off since then. by the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning, the satellites
will help the country’s military to observe North Korea’s key military
In May this year, South Korea successfully facilities every two hours with 30-50 centimeters resolution imagery.
launched its homegrown Nuri rocket and placed
working satellites into orbit. Seoul plans to carry The US$970 million ‘425 project’ has the Agency for Defence
out three more launches of Nuri by 2027. With Development (ADD) and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)
access to information from space forming a key as the primary contractors. While KARI has developed the Electro-
element of its multipronged strategy to defeat Optic/Infra-Red (EO/IR) satellite, the SAR satellites have been
North Korean missiles, the country is focused developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hanwha Systems,
on developing its military space capabilities. with technical assistance from Europe’s Thales Alenia Space.
The goal is to field a network of satellites for a
regional positioning system, next-generation
communications, and military reconnaissance. Ambitious Plans
In December last year, South Korea conducted a In August 2021, South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Programme
successful test flight of a solid-fuel space launch Administration (DAPA) announced that it expected 16 trillion won,
vehicle. This followed the first test of an indige- or about US$13 billion, in space development to be invested in the
nous solid-fuel space rocket, by the state-run defense sector alone over the next 10 years. The Agency for Defence
Agency for Defence Development, in March. The Development intends to transfer core satellite technologies to local
rocket is designed to put a small satellite into a defence contractors, in preparation for the mass production of mil-
low Earth orbit for surveillance operations. itary satellites.

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