Korea's Earth observation satellite launched from US base
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket streaks across the sky at sunset after liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Los Angeles, California, June 24. Reuters-Yonhap
A Korean Earth observation satellite was successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday, the country's space agency said.
The next-generation medium-sized satellite No. 4 lifted off aboard Falcon 9 at 12:12 a.m. Tuesday (local time) as part of the Transporter-17 rideshare mission, which carried 81 payloads.
The satellite is scheduled to separate from the launch vehicle about 2 hours and 22 minutes after liftoff and attempt its first communication with the Svalbard ground station in Norway about 31 minutes later, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) said.
The country's first satellite dedicated to agriculture and forestry is designed to support a wide range of applications, including crop monitoring, forest management, disaster response and climate analysis.
The satellite carries a domestically developed wide-area observation camera capable of imaging the entire Korean Peninsula every three days.
If initial operations proceed as planned, the satellite will undergo three to four months of image calibration and data verification before entering full-scale service in the first half of 2027, KASA said.