2 CubeSats successfully communicate after Nuri launch

Researchers at Seoul National University check a satellite being loaded onto the KSLV-II. [KOREA AEROSPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE]

Two of the four miniature satellites launched into orbit by Korea's first domestically-developed rocket have successfully communicated with earth.

One faced some technical difficulties, which could be resolved, and another has yet to be deployed.

The cube-shaped satellites, or CubeSats, developed by Seoul National University (SNU) and KAIST have sent and received signals, according to the two institutions and the Science Ministry on Monday.

The CubeSats will carry out missions for about six months to a year .

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II), named Nuri, carried a total of four CubeSats; KAIST's Randev, SNU's Snuglite-II, Chosun University's STEP Cube Lab-II and Yonsei University's Miman.

Chosun University's satellite was deployed from a performance verification satellite of the rocket on June 29, but it failed to properly communicate with ground station, while Yonsei University's object will be released on July 5.

A group of researchers at SNU transmitted a signal of activating Snuglite-II's antenna at 3:27 a.m. Monday, and the satellite unfolded its antenna.

The research team led by aerospace engineering professor Kee Chang-don confirmed that power system is working properly and that the CubeSat has the right angular and global positioning speeds.

Once the communication system becomes stabilized, the Snuglite-II will take on its mission of studying the earth's atmosphere.

The announcement followed the success by KAIST's Randev, which made the first communication at 3:42 a.m. on July 2.

A team of researchers led by professor Bang Hyo-choong developed Randev, which measures 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) in width and length and 30 centimeters in height and weighs 3.2 kilograms (7.0 pounds).

The spacecraft is designed to film videos of the earth to ground station at high speed in ultra high frequency or very high frequency ranges.

"The research team will keep record of data sent from the satellite to confirm that it is ready to conduct its mission," KAIST said in a statement.

"When things are all set, it will start the mission using the camera," it said.

The science and technology-focused institute led the development of the country's first satellite, the KITSAT-1, which was launched in 1992.

A research team at Chosun University will keep trying to communicate with the CubeSat communications that was only partly successful.

Its STEP Cube Lab-II is tasked with measuring the water temperature of the crater lake on top of Mt. Baekdu in North Korea. The purpose is to study the chance of volcano eruption at the mountain.

With the successful launch of the rocket on June 21, Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) became the seventh space agency to succeed in putting a satellite weighing more than 1 ton into space, following those of Russia, the United States, the European Union, China, Japan and India.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr ]