Hancom to launch S. Korea's 1st commercial Earth observation satellite this month

SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- Hancom InSpace Co., a South Korean aerospace tech company, said Wednesday that it plans to launch the country's first commercial Earth observation satellite next week in the United States.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 25 (local time) carrying Sejong-1 built in cooperation between Hancom InSpace and U.S. space data company Spire Global.

The launch has been brought forward to May 25 from June 1 due to weather conditions.

The 10.8-kilogram satellite will orbit the Earth 12 to 14 times a day, completing an orbit every 90 minutes, according to the affiliate of Hancom Group.

Hancom InSpace said it aims to sell imagery and geospatial analytics services to Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern countries where there is high demand for such data for agricultural and other purposes.

"We will lead South Korea's new space era by aggressively engaging in satellite data service business," Choi Myung-jin, CEO of Hancom InSpace, said.

Hancom InSpace said it plans to operate a total of five satellites by 2024, with a goal to develop and use its own proprietary payload from the launch of Sejong-4. It also plans to launch a low-orbit telecommunications satellite in 2025.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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