South Korea wants to up its game against North Korea. So, the former will reportedly work with SpaceX to add more military satellites to monitor the latter.
South Korea To Launch 2 More Reconnaissance Satellite With SpaceX
On Monday, the official arms procurement agency announced that South Korea intends to launch two additional military spy satellites this year to monitor North Korea better. This development may intensify tensions in the inter-Korean space race.
Two synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites are expected to be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in April and November, respectively, according to the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA).
In response to North Korea's increasing missile and nuclear threats, South Korea intends to launch four more surface-to-air reconnaissance (SAR) satellites into orbit by 2025, starting with an EO/IR satellite in December.
SAR satellites can gather data using remote sensing technologies regardless of the weather, whereas EO/IR satellites are limited in their ability to see through thick clouds and only obtain detailed photos of the Earth's surface.
According to DAPA, the reconnaissance satellites working in tandem should make it possible to quickly identify any early warning indicators of a possible nuclear or missile assault by North Korea.
Days before South Korea's declaration, Pyongyang had threatened to launch three more surveillance satellites this year.
After two unsuccessful efforts, the North sent its first spy satellite into orbit in November, and it claims to have taken pictures of significant US and South Korean military installations.
South Korea, North Korea Spy Military Race
As tensions between the adversaries escalated, South Korea launched its first military spy satellite into space on Dec. 1, 2023, just over a week after North Korea claimed to have launched its spy satellite into orbit for the first time.
It was the first of five surveillance satellites South Korea intends to put into space by 2025 as part of a contract with SpaceX. It was launched from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The weather caused the event to be postponed from its earlier scheduled time earlier in the week.
Without any military reconnaissance satellites of its own, South Korea had to partially rely on American spy satellites to keep an eye on North Korea's movements.
The launch was deemed successful by South Korea's Defense Ministry, which also stated that the satellite could communicate with a base station outside.
North Korea was the first to launch its military satellite. Pyongyang announced the launch of its first spy satellite on Nov. 28, 2023. Images published by the state media featured North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watching a missile launch from a base.
Later, Kim saw photos shot above the United States and received a briefing on the satellite's operations from the space agency's Pyongyang control center. North Korea's official news agency, KCNA, reported that American military sites, including the Andersen Air Force Base, are located in the Pacific region of Guam.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency cited the South Korean military that North Korea had attempted to launch an unidentified ballistic missile toward the sea east of the Korean peninsula in response to the satellite launch, but it looked to have failed.
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