High-Resolution Optical Observation Satellite 'Arirang-7' Ready for Launch in November

Arirang-7 [Provided by Korea Aerospace Research Institute. Reproduction and database prohibited]

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Jo Seung-han = The Korea Aerospace Administration and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute announced on the 24th that they have completed the development of the high-resolution optical observation satellite, the Multi-purpose Satellite 7 (Arirang-7), and held a pre-transport review meeting on the 23rd.

Arirang-7, which began its project in August 2016, completed the satellite assembly and space environment testing in December 2023, and is currently in storage mode awaiting launch.

Arirang-7 is scheduled to be transported to the launch site in mid-September this year, undergo launch preparations at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, South America, and be launched in November by the European Arianespace launch vehicle 'Vega-C'.

Approximately 100 experts and government officials participated in the review meeting, confirming the satellite assembly test results, status checks, launch preparations, and ground station readiness.

Jeon Hyung-yeol, head of the Satellite and Space Exploration Research Institute at KARI, said, "Arirang-7 will serve as an opportunity to reaffirm our country's independent high-resolution optical observation satellite technology development capabilities and contribute to establishing a bridgehead for Korea to enter the global mid-to-large satellite market."

Kim Jin-hee, head of the Satellite Division at the Korea Aerospace Administration, stated, "Once Arirang-7 is launched, it will be able to provide world-class, high-quality satellite imagery for disaster and damage monitoring, national territory and environmental surveillance, public safety, and urban heat island phenomena, utilizing its high-resolution optical camera with a resolution of less than 0.3m and infrared (IR) sensors, to the public and private sectors."

Arirang-7 was originally scheduled to be launched in the second half of 2021, but its production was delayed due to component manufacturing defects and the impact of COVID-19. The launch was further postponed by nearly four years due to the inability to secure a launch vehicle following the Russia-Ukraine war.

Similarly, Arirang-6, which was planned for launch in the second half of 2019, has been postponed multiple times, and its launch is now delayed until early next year due to development delays of an Italian satellite to be carried alongside it.

shjo@yna.co.kr

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