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Korea sends new homegrown multipurpose satellite Arirang 7 into orbit

Published: 02 Dec. 2025, 17:44 Updated: 03 Dec. 2025, 14:16

Researchers applaud the launch of the Arirang 7 multipurpose satellite at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s satellite control room in Daejeon on Dec. 2. [KOREA AEROSPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE]

Korea sent a new homegrown multipurpose satellite into orbit early on Tuesday, setting the stage for high-resolution observations of the peninsula.

Arirang 7 launched from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, South America, at 2:21 p.m. on Monday, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) said. The satellite was aboard Europe's Vega C rocket.

The satellite separated from the launcher about 44 minutes after liftoff and made contact with the Troll Satellite Station in Antarctica one hour and nine minutes later. It then established contact with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's (KARI) ground station in Daejeon at 1:40 p.m.

KARI confirmed the deployment of the satellite’s solar panels and X-band antenna. The latter will transmit observation images.

Both the satellite platform and payload are reportedly in good condition.

Mission profile

“After roughly six months of initial operations and calibration, we expect to begin distributing satellite imagery in the second half of next year,” said Lee Sang-gon, the head of the Arirang 7 project at KARI.

The 1,840-kilogram (4,056.5-pound) satellite is scheduled to fly for five years in a Sun-synchronous orbit about 500 kilometers (311 miles) above Earth, where it will monitor the Korean Peninsula.

Arirang 7 carries a high-resolution optical camera capable of producing 0.3-meter-class (12-inch-class) images. Each pixel represents a 30-square-centimeter section of ground.

The new satellite offers more than triple the image-reading performance of Arirang 3A, launched in 2015. While Arirang 3A could determine if a vehicle was present, Arirang 7 can identify its type, from small cars to trucks.

“When Arirang 7 begins full operations, Korea will improve its ability to gather domestic observation imagery for disaster and hazard monitoring and land management, and we’ll be able to deliver information more quickly and accurately,” said Lee Sang-cheol, the president of KARI.

A Vega C rocket carrying the Arirang 7 satellite lifts off from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, South America, on Dec. 2, in footage broadcast by the Korea AeroSpace Administration. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Implications for Korea

Arirang 7 is the first satellite that Korea designed, assembled, tested and verified entirely with domestic technology. KARI led the development of the system and payload, and Korea Aerospace Industries oversaw the construction of the satellite platform.

The project began in August 2016. The launch, originally planned for the second half of 2021, was delayed for nearly four years due to component defects and the Covid-19 pandemic.

“With the successful launch of Arirang 7, Korea has secured world-class development capabilities in the field of Earth observation satellites,” said Yoon Young-bin, an administrator of KASA.

In other space activity

KASA and KARI also said on Tuesday that nine of the twelve CubeSats — a class of small satellites deployed during the fourth launch of the Nuri rocket on Thursday — established communication. Successful contact is a necessary step before a satellite begins its mission.

Engineers have planned additional attempts to contact the remaining three CubeSats — from KARI, Quaternion and Space LiinTech, respectively — using updated orbital data from the U.S.-led Combined Space Operations Center.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY EO HWAN-HEE [[email protected]]