South Korea yesterday said it plans to launch its first domestically built spy satellite at the end of this month to better monitor rival North Korea, which is expanding its arsenal of nuclear weapons.
The plan was unveiled days after Pyongyang failed to follow through on a vow to make a third attempt to launch its own reconnaissance satellite last month, likely because of technical issues.
The first military spy satellite is to be launched from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on Nov. 30, South Korean Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jeon Ha-gyu told reporters.
Photo: AP
The satellite is to be carried by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Under a contract with SpaceX, South Korea plans to launch four more spy satellites by 2025, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration said.
South Korea has no military reconnaissance satellites of its own and relies on US spy satellites to monitor moves by North Korea.
The possession of its own spy satellites would give South Korea an independent space-based surveillance system to monitor North Korea in almost real time.
When operated together with South Korea’s so-called three-axis system — pre-emptive strike, missile defense and retaliatory assets — the country’s overall defense against North Korea would be sharply strengthened, said Lee Choon-geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute.
US spy satellites produce much higher-resolution imagery, but are operated under US strategic objectives, not South Korea’s, Lee said.
The US sometimes does not share satellite photos with highly sensitive information with South Korea, Lee added.
Last year, South Korea used a homegrown rocket to place what it called a “performance observation satellite” in orbit, becoming the world’s 10th nation to successfully launch a satellite with its own technology.
Observers say the launch proved that Seoul can launch a satellite that is heavier than the spy satellite, but that it needs more tests to ensure the rocket’s reliability.
Lee said it is much more economical to use a SpaceX rocket to launch the spy satellite from the Vandenberg base.
North Korea is also eager to acquire its own spy satellite. However, its two launch attempts earlier this year ended in failure for technical reasons.
South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers last week that North Korea is likely receiving Russian technological assistance for its spy satellite launch program.
The National Intelligence Service said North Korea was in the final phase of preparations for its third launch, which it said would likely be successful.
‘EYE FOR AN EYE’: Two of the men were shot by a male relative of the victims, whose families turned down the opportunity to offer them amnesty, the Supreme Court said Four men were yesterday publicly executed in Afghanistan, the Supreme Court said, the highest number of executions to be carried out in one day since the Taliban’s return to power. The executions in three separate provinces brought to 10 the number of men publicly put to death since 2021, according to an Agence France-Presse tally. Public executions were common during the Taliban’s first rule from 1996 to 2001, with most of them carried out publicly in sports stadiums. Two men were shot around six or seven times by a male relative of the victims in front of spectators in Qala-i-Naw, the center
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is leaning into his banking background as his country fights a trade war with the US, but his financial ties have also made him a target for conspiracy theories. Incorporating tropes familiar to followers of the far-right QAnon movement, conspiratorial social media posts about the Liberal leader have surged ahead of the country’s April 28 election. Posts range from false claims he recited a “satanic chant” at a campaign event to artificial intelligence (AI)-generated images of him in a pool with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “He’s the ideal person to be targeted here, for sure, due to
Incumbent Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa on Sunday claimed a runaway victory in the nation’s presidential election, after voters endorsed the young leader’s “iron fist” approach to rampant cartel violence. With more than 90 percent of the votes counted, the National Election Council said Noboa had an unassailable 12-point lead over his leftist rival Luisa Gonzalez. Official results showed Noboa with 56 percent of the vote, against Gonzalez’s 44 percent — a far bigger winning margin than expected after a virtual tie in the first round. Speaking to jubilant supporters in his hometown of Olon, the 37-year-old president claimed a “historic victory.” “A huge hug
DISPUTE: Beijing seeks global support against Trump’s tariffs, but many governments remain hesitant to align, including India, ASEAN countries and Australia China is reaching out to other nations as the US layers on more tariffs, in what appears to be an attempt by Beijing to form a united front to compel Washington to retreat. Days into the effort, it is meeting only partial success from countries unwilling to ally with the main target of US President Donald Trump’s trade war. Facing the cratering of global markets, Trump on Wednesday backed off his tariffs on most nations for 90 days, saying countries were lining up to negotiate more favorable conditions. China has refused to seek talks, saying the US was insincere and that it
RSS