South Korea Launches First Military Spy Satellite

The border between South Korea and North Korea is shown, Flickr

South Korea announced that it would launch its first spy satellite on November 30 in order to keep a closer eye on North Korea, which is expanding its use of nuclear weapons. South Korea revealed the plan just days after North Korea stated it would attempt again to launch its own surveillance satellite in October, which failed most likely due to technical difficulties. 

There has been conjecture that North Korea is nearing completion of its plans to launch a 

military surveillance satellite into orbit for a third time following its unsuccessful attempts in May and August. In order to keep eyes on the country's movements, South Korea now uses American spy satellites, as it lacks military surveillance spacecraft of its own.

According to Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute, combining this development with the nation's "three-axis system" of preemptive strike, missile defense, and retaliatory assets would significantly strengthen South Korea's overall defense against North Korea.

Although they operate under American strategic objectives rather than South Korea's, Lee reported that American spy satellites generate far higher-resolution imagery. He explained that on occasion, the United States withholds from South Korea satellite images that include extremely sensitive data.

South Korea sent what it called a "performance observation satellite" into orbit in 2022 using a domestic rocket, making history as the tenth country in the world to do so successfully. The event, according to observers, demonstrated the country's potential to launch a satellite heavier than the spy satellite. However, more testing is required to confirm the rocket's dependability. 

The South Korean Defense Ministry's Jeon Ha Gyu informed reporters on Monday that the nation's first military spy satellite is scheduled to launch on November 30 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the satellite. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration of South Korea states that the country intends to launch four more spy satellites by 2025 as part of a contract with SpaceX.

North Korea is likewise keen to obtain a spy satellite of its own. However, due to technical issues, its two earlier launch efforts this year were unsuccessful. The nation announced that it would try a third time in October, but it didn't, and its official media didn't give an explanation.

Last week, South Korea's spy service informed officials that North Korea's spy satellite launch program is probably receiving technological support from Russia. North Korea is reportedly nearing the end of its preparations for its third launch, which the National Intelligence Service predicts will be successful.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made the acquisition of spy satellites part of his grand ambitions to increase his country's armaments in 2021. In order to counter growing military threats from the United States, Kim has argued, North Korea also needs additional mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered submarines, hypersonic weapons, and multi-warhead missiles.

According to South Korea, the United States, and other international governments, North Korea is looking to Russia for advanced weaponry technologies to update its arsenal in exchange for ammunition, missiles, and other military hardware that can be used in its conflict in Ukraine. North Korea and Russia have both denounced the purported weaponry transfer agreement as being unfounded.
South Korea recovered wreckage from the satellite following North Korea's first unsuccessful launch attempt in May and determined it was too primitive for military reconnaissance. However, according to Lee, North Korea may find military utility for the satellite, as it would still be able to detect large targets like warships. In the race to enhance their surveillance capabilities, South Korea's launch of its first spy satellite signals a pivotal step in countering North Korea's ambitions, though ongoing concerns persist regarding the advancements in North Korea's satellite technology and its potential military applications.