South Korea launches second reconnaissance satellite amid tensions with North Korea
The Associated Press
South Korea recently launched its second reconnaissance satellite, days after North Korea reaffirmed its plan to launch multiple spy satellites in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said the reconnaissance satellite, which launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, entered orbit and communicated with an overseas ground station.
With the early April 2024 launch, “our military has acquired an additional independent surveillance ability and further bolstered our kill chain capability,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha Gyu said, referring to the military’s preemptive missile strike capability.
Under a contract with private company SpaceX, South Korea is set to launch five reconnaissance satellites by 2025. The first was launched in December 2023 from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base.
In 2022, South Korea became the 10th nation to successfully launch a satellite with its own technology, using a domestically developed rocket to place a “performance observation satellite” in orbit. Experts say it’s economical for Seoul to use a SpaceX rocket to launch satellites while it further ensures the reliability of its own rocket.
Meanwhile, after two launch failures earlier in 2023, North Korea placed its first spy satellite into orbit in November, although experts question whether it can transmit meaningful military imagery.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said North Korea will likely attempt to launch a second spy satellite to mark the April 15 birthday of the state’s founder, Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of the current dictator, Kim Jong Un.
U.N. Security Council resolutions ban Pyongyang from launching satellites, considering them disguised tests of the regime’s long-range missile technology.
