Korea puts first indigenous nanosatellite into orbit as part of constellation project

The first domestically developed nanosatellite communicated with the ground station at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon after it was launched into orbit from a spaceport in Mahia, New Zealand, on Wednesday.

Rocket Lab's Electron lifts off from a spaceport in Mahia, New Zealand, on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The first domestically developed nanosatellite communicated with the ground station at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon after it was launched into orbit from a spaceport in Mahia, New Zealand, on Wednesday.

“The nanosatellite NEONSAT-1 successfully separated from the launch vehicle at around 8:22 a.m., about 50 minutes after launch,” the Ministry of Science and ICT said in a press release. NEONSAT stands for "New-space Earth Observation Satellite constellation for national safety."

Developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist), the NEONSAT-1 weighs less than 100 kilograms (220 lbs) and has a resolution of 1 meter. It is the first of 11 nanosatellites to form a satellite constellation to monitor and take images of the Korean Peninsula.

Korea plans to launch five additional nanosatellites into space in June 2026 and five more in September 2027.

The NEONSAT-1 was launched into space at an altitude of 520 kilometers (323 miles) aboard U.S. space company Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from Mahia, New Zealand, at 7:32 a.m.

Electron was initially scheduled to launch at 7:08 a.m., but the launch time was postponed due to the risk of collision with other space vehicles.

The countdown stopped with 12 minutes remaining to resolve a ground system issue during the launch preparation, but Rocket Lab resolved the problem and resumed the countdown before the launch.

NEONSAT-1 orbited Earth two times and successfully communicated with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon at around 11:57 a.m. It is scheduled to make another contact to confirm normal operation at 4:30 p.m.

The launch project was named BTS, short for "the beginning of the swarm."

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]