On December 1st, last year (local time), the military reconnaissance satellite 1 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. The photo was provided by SpaceX.
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The key monitoring and reconnaissance asset of the inter-Korean kill chain, the military reconnaissance satellite 1, is starting its main mission.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced on the 14th that the first satellite of the military reconnaissance satellite securing project ‘425 Project’ has received combat suitability approval from the Ministry of National Defense.
The military reconnaissance satellite 1, launched in December last year from California, has undergone initial operational checks, space orbit tests, and operational evaluation in space.
The 425 Project aims to secure 4 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites and 1 electro-optical-infrared (EO/IR) satellite. The first satellite is an EO/IR satellite equipped with electro-optical cameras and infrared sensors.
The electro-optical camera directly captures the ground using visible light, while the infrared sensor detects infrared based on temperature differences in objects, enabling object identification even at night.
The military successfully launched the SAR satellite 2 in April and plans to launch the 3rd satellite in the second half of this year.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration stated, “The first satellite is our military’s first independent surveillance and reconnaissance satellite, allowing us to capture desired areas at desired times with world-class resolution for precise target analysis.”