South Korea's Military Spy Satellite Will Undergo Operational Tests This Month

South Korean spy satellite launches using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at US Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA. (Twitter/@SpaceX)

JAKARTA - South Korea's first military reconnaissance satellite is scheduled to undergo operational tests this month, the Ministry of Defense said after launching into orbit late last year.

The satellite, launched from the United States, is part of the Ginseng State government's project to obtain five military spy satellites by 2025, to improve North Korea's independent monitoring capabilities.

"Currently, (satellite) is undergoing initial and calibration operations as well as validation of video recordings as usual, Jeon Hak-kyou, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, as reported by The Korea Times on March 10.

"Starting in the middle of this month, it is scheduled to undergo operational tests and evaluations," he continued

The satellite, equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors, recently sent back 'good resolution' images from Pyongyang center, according to military sources.

"Judging from the results of recently sent satellite photo editing, the resolution is good as expected," said a military source.

"The center area of Pyongyang and ships at the port is clearly visible (in the photo)," said the source.

Foto-foto yang saat ini sedang dikirim memerlukan beberapa peneditan besar-besaran, namun satelit tersebut diperkirakan akan mengirimkan gambar-gambar dengan resolasi lebih tinggi mulai bulan depan, kata sumber lain.

The source did not specify the exact subject photographed in the image, for intelligence reasons.

As an illustration, there is the headquarters building of the ruling Korean Labor Party, where North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un's office is in the center of Pyongyang City.

The satellite is expected to enter its full mission phase in early June, which is likely to help reduce South Korea's large dependence on the image of the US satellite on North Korea.

Seoul's first military spy satellite was stationed into orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, United States on December 2.

Meanwhile, the military's second reconnaissance satellite is scheduled to launch in April, as well as from a US military base in Florida.

The launch plan comes as Pyongyang is also making efforts to acquire space-based reconnaissance capabilities. North Korea successfully launched its first military spy satellite in November and promised to launch three more spy satellites this year.