South Korea launches second military spy satellite | World | News
South Korea has launched its second military spy satellite into orbit, a move that comes amid rising tensions with North Korea.
This launch follows North Korea’s recent reaffirmation of its plan to deploy multiple reconnaissance satellites this year.
Both Koreas launched their inaugural spy satellites last year North Korea in November and South Korea in December – during a period of escalating animosities.
They claimed these satellites would enhance their surveillance capabilities over each other and bolster their missile attack prowess.
The latest South Korean spy satellite was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday evening local time, which corresponded to Monday morning in Seoul.
In a statement, South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed the successful separation of the satellite from the rocket. It added that it will verify the satellite’s functionality through communications with an overseas ground station.
As per a contract with SpaceX, South Korea plans to launch five spy satellites by 2025. The country’s first spy satellite was launched from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on December 1.
In 2022, South Korea joined the elite club of nations capable of launching satellites with its own technology, becoming the world’s 10th country to do so. The nation successfully deployed a “performance observation satellite” using a domestically developed rocket.
However, experts suggest that for economic reasons and to ensure rocket reliability through more launches, it would be prudent for South Korea to utilize SpaceX rockets for deploying spy satellites.
Meanwhile, North Korea is aggressively pursuing the development of its own space-based surveillance network to counter what it perceives as military threats from the United States and South Korea.
Despite two failed attempts earlier in 2023, North Korea triumphantly orbited its Malligyong-1 spy satellite on Nov. 21.
The regime has claimed that the satellite has sent back images of significant locations in the US and South Korea, including the White House and the Pentagon. However, no such satellite photos have been released, leading international experts to question the satellite’s capability to provide militarily significant intelligence.
On March 31, Pak Kyong Su, the vice general director of North Korea’s National Aerospace Technology Administration, announced plans for the launch of several more reconnaissance satellites within the year. At a major political meeting in late December, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un committed to deploying three additional military spy satellites in 2024.
The United Nations has imposed a ban on North Korea from conducting satellite launches, viewing it as a veiled test of its long-range missile technology. The tension on the Korean Peninsula escalated following North’s satellite launch in November, leading both Koreas to take measures that violate their 2018 pact to reduce military tensions.
In recent times, North Korea has been involved in a series of provocative missile tests aimed at modernizing and expanding its weapons arsenals. This has led the US and South Korea to intensify their military drills in retaliation.
Experts suggest that North Korea probably thinks that an expanded weapons arsenal would give it an upper hand in future diplomacy with the US.