US launches third military reconnaissance satellite on 21st - South Korea

South Korea's third reconnaissance satellite will have a wrap-up party on the 21st. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense announced that the third military reconnaissance satellite was launched from the Vandenberg Space Center in California, USA, at around 8:34 pm Korean time on the same day.
The third satellite was transported from South Korea to the Vandenberg Space Center at the end of last month, and the satellite itself will be assembled.
After inspection and launch vehicle assembly, the final rehearsal was completed on the 19th of this month. If the third vehicle successfully reaches orbit, it will deploy solar panels and antenna reflectors to carry out various functions and communications.
The satellite will be operational after undergoing an initial operational period and operational test evaluation. This is the third satellite to be launched as part of the "425 Project," which aims to secure large and medium-sized reconnaissance satellites for the military.
The 425 Project will deploy a total of five reconnaissance satellites, including one electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) satellite (Satellite No. 1) and four synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites (Satellites No. 2 to 5).
The name 425 (pronounced "Sa-io" in Korean) is a combination of the "sa" sound of SAR and the "eo" sound of EO.
The first EO·IR satellite was wrapped up in December last year and was deployed in August this year.
The third SAR satellite was wrapped up in April this year and is currently undergoing operational testing and evaluation, with the satellite scheduled to begin its mission in February next year. The third SAR satellite, which will be wrapped up on this day, is the second SAR satellite.
In the 425 project, satellite sensors were diversified to include electro-optical, infrared, and SAR. Electro-optical sensors use visible light like a camera to directly capture images of the ground, so the visibility of the images is improved.
Although it has excellent recognition and readability, it is limited by weather conditions such as night and clouds. Infrared sensors can capture images even at night. SAR satellites emit radio waves to the ground, which are reflected back.
The system receives signals from satellites and generates images, so it can obtain images regardless of weather conditions, but it requires analysis by experts. The military is using these various sensors and multiple satellites, which are mutually complementary.
The plan is to continue real-time surveillance of North Korea. If all five aircraft are deployed under the 425 Project, it will be possible to monitor and patrol specific targets in North Korea every two hours.
"By operating our nation's first constellation of reconnaissance satellites, we will be able to increase opportunities to obtain images and develop sensors that are suited to the characteristics of targets," said Seok Jeong-gon, director of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and head of the launch control group in charge of the wrap-up party for the third satellite.
"By utilizing this technology, we will be able to identify signs of provocation from North Korea in three dimensions in the future."