South Korea To Launch Third Military Spy Satellite In December, Can Monitor North Korea Every Two Hours

South Korea's second spy satellite launch from the Kennedy Space Center Cape Canaveral. (Source: South Korean Ministry of Defense)

JAKARTA - South Korea plans to launch its third military reconnaissance satellite in December, the country's arms procurement agency said on Wednesday.

The planned launch is said to be part of efforts to increase its surveillance capabilities against North Korea.

The SpaceX rocket carrying the satellite is scheduled to take off in the third or fourth week of December, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said, adding it was working with the US company to detail the launch.

The launch will be carried out as part of Seoul's plan to acquire five spy satellites by 2025, to better monitor North Korea with space-based platforms.

Previously, the country of Ginseng was very dependent on the satellite image provided by the United States.

South Korea previously launched two spy satellites with its respective SpaceX rockets in December last year and April.

The first satellite is equipped with an electro-optical and infrared sensor to capture Earth's surface images in detail. The second satellite has a synthetic aperture radar sensor (SAR) capable of collecting data regardless of weather conditions.

Except for the first satellite, the other four satellites will be equipped with SAR sensors.

After the five spy satellites are launched and declared feasible for operation, the military is expected to be able to monitor specific targets in North Korea every two hours.

It is known, South Korea plans to further improve its surveillance capabilities by launching a small reconnaissance satellite weighing less than 500 kilograms, as well as a smaller reconnaissance satellite weighing less than 100 kg aboard a domestically made solid-fueled space rocket.

The launch of the small satellite is known to be scheduled between 2026 and 2028 and for smaller satellites between 2028 and 2030.