Korea's Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite No. 4 has successfully completed its first contact over the Korean Peninsula. With the satellite body confirmed to be in normal condition, preparations are gaining momentum for a mission that will be used for agricultural and forestry observation and disaster response beginning next year.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration, the Rural Development Administration and the Korea Forest Service said the Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite No. 4 (CAS500-4) successfully made its first contact with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) ground station in Daejeon at 10:50 p.m. on Sunday. This came about 6 hours and 38 minutes after launch.
The Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite No. 4 had previously conducted three rounds of contact using overseas ground stations, including the Svalbard ground station in Norway and the King Sejong Station in Antarctica. It then succeeded in its first contact with the KARI ground station in Daejeon as it passed over the Korean Peninsula.
During this contact, officials confirmed whether the solar panels had deployed successfully and whether there were any abnormalities in the satellite body status information. The Korea AeroSpace Administration and other agencies plan to sequentially carry out X-band antenna deployment, activation of attitude control system actuators and function checks through additional contact. After going through an initial operation process, the Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite No. 4 will begin full-scale operations in 2027. The satellite will be responsible for securing agricultural and forestry observation data and providing data needed for responding to disasters such as wildfires.
The Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite program is a project to develop and utilize mid-size practical satellites using domestic technology. Satellite No. 4 will be jointly used by the Rural Development Administration and the Korea Forest Service, and is set to be used for observing crop growth conditions, forest changes and disaster-affected areas.
