Next-generation medium-sized satellite (car mid-size satellite) first succeeded in communicating with a domestic ground station at 11:23:25 pm on the 22nd, and finally the’New Space Era’ has risen. Korean private companies, including Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Hanwha Corporation, and Hanwha Systems, are the leading players. Based on the technology transferred from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (HANG Woo-yeon), which has been leading the Korean space industry, they will start developing purely privately-led development from the second satellite satellite.
According to the KAI on the 23rd, the vehicle satellite 1 is scheduled to provide full-fledged standard video from October after going through an initial operation process such as communication inspection for about 6 months at an altitude of 497.8km orbit. It is expected to be used for land/resource management and disaster/disaster response by observing the earth at a resolution of 0.5m in black and white and 2m in color.
KAI, Hanwha Co., Ltd., and Hanwha Systems participated as co-developers of Chajung Satellite No. 1 under the supervision of Hang Woo-yeon.
KAI was the first to take the lead in the private sector. KAI has completed the so-called’standard platform’. The standard platform is a 500kg-class satellite with a width of 1.4m, a length of 1.55m, and a height of 2.89m, so that it can be used for a variety of purposes only by replacing the payload. During the development process, there was also active support from government agencies such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Environment, the Agricultural Promotion Administration, and the Forest Service.
Hanwha Systems, which participated in the development of payloads, devoted all efforts to achieving the best virtue of the New Space era of’lightweight’. Thanks to the localization of the camera control unit and the focal plane electronic unit of the optical mount, and the weight reduction of the mount to 150 kg, the weight of the vehicle mid-satellite was reduced to less than half compared to the existing Arirang 3A (1100 kg).
An official from Hanwha Systems explained, “If you make the vehicle lighter, you will be able to load more satellites with one shot,” he said. “Since multiple satellites can be exported for a single shot, miniaturization and weight reduction are prerequisites for commercialization.”
Professor Bang Hyo-chung of KAIST said, “(This miniaturization and weight reduction) played an important role in improving satellite performance and cost-performance. We believe that private-led space development, not government-led space development, took the first step. “This is a global trend.”
Such civilian-led space development will be further strengthened starting with the second intermediate satellite.
A KAI official said, “From the satellite system design to body development, manufacturing, assembly, test and launch, KAI will be supervising from the development of No. 2 by applying the technology transferred from Hang Woo-yeon, and we plan to launch it in January next year.” said.
The intermediate satellite 3, scheduled for launch in 2023, is another challenge. The goal is to advance the level of localization to the next level, mount it on a Korean launch vehicle, and launch it.
After verifying the standard platform through vehicle satellites 1 and 2, it is planning to develop a Korean launch vehicle that will launch this standard platform. The vehicle satellite 1 was launched through the Russian Soyuz. The follow-on satellites 4 and 5 are aimed at launches in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
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