S. Korea’s First Military Spy Satellite Begins Operation

The country’s first indigenous military reconnaissance satellite, launched in December, has begun operations in earnest after passing a combat suitability evaluation.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration(DAPA) said on Wednesday that the first military spy satellite under the so-called 425 satellite development project has been declared fit for combat by the defense ministry.

The 425 Project aims to deploy four Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) satellites and one equipped with Electro-Optical and Infrared sensors.

Following its launch from California in December last year, the first spy satellite underwent operational and space orbit flight tests in the space environment.

DAPA said that the military’s first domestically-built surveillance and reconnaissance satellite will enable the military to capture images of any part of the world at any time and to precisely analyze various targets with the highest resolution available.

The country successfully launched its second SAR-equipped satellite in April, with plans to launch the third satellite in the second half of this year.