Satellite launch expands communication boundary

With the launch of the Koreasat 5 yesterday, the Korean military has entered the satellite communication age. The Koreasat 5, also known as the Mugunghwa 5, is Korea’s first satellite that has both commercial and military purposes. Built by Alcatel Alenia Space in France, the hybrid spacecraft carries 36 transponders, a kind of radar transmitter-receiver, in multi-band frequencies. The satellite is jointly owned by the Defense Ministry and telecommunications giant KT Corp. KT will operate 24 higher frequency ku-band transponders, half of which can switch to regional beams to provide advanced broadband multimedia, digital television transmission and telecom services to operators in the Asia-Pacific region. The other 12 ku-band transponders will replace Koreasat 2 for use in Korea only. The military will operate 12 transponders on the satellite to provide communication services. This will enable the military to communicate even in mountainous regions, where two-way radios often don’t work. In addition, satellite communications won’t break down even in the event of a natural disaster or war here on Earth. The Koreasat 5 also supports an automatic command system called C4I that would integrate the strategic systems used by the army, navy, and artillery, all currently separate. “We need wide-ranging communications for ‘cooperative independent defense,’” said Lee Sang-kook, chief of the satellite communication system at the Agency for Defense Development. “The military satellite has the ability to provide what we need.” If and when such an integrated defense system is achieved, it could be possible for, say, an F-15K fighter jet to have data on an intended target relayed via Koreasat 5. The satellite could also take photographs of the target, enabling real-time commands from military bases far away. To support these military operations, the military communications channels are equipped with special devices to prevent interference with electronic wave transmissions. Among other security measures, the frequencies can also be changed randomly to prevent wiretapping. The satellite expands the military’s communications boundaries to a 6,000-kilometer (3,728-mile) radius from the middle of Korea, thus freeing the military from having to use satellites from other countries. A rocket will lift the spacecraft to geosynchronous transfer orbit, to a final orbital position of 113 degrees east longitude on Aug. 30. There it will spread open flaps covered with solar cell panels and begin four months of performance tests. KT said it invested 150 billion won ($156.8 million) in developing the satellite and the remainder was covered by the Defense Ministry. The new satellite will expand its service coverage to Japan, China and Southeast Asian countries beginning in 2007, paving the way for people in those areas to view Korea’s TV programs. by Kim Min-seok, Wohn Dong-hee