According to Yonhap News Agency, on the morning of April 8th, the space exploration technology company Falcon 9 carrier rocket carrying South Korea's second military reconnaissance satellite was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The South Korean Ministry of Defense reported that the satellite is the first synthetic aperture radar satellite independently developed by South Korea. After entering orbit, it has successfully communicated with the ground, confirming the successful launch of the satellite. This not only means that the construction of South Korea's military reconnaissance satellite intelligence network is taking another step forward, but also will have a significant impact on South Korea's space military capacity building. On December 1, 2023, South Korea's first military reconnaissance satellite was launched into orbit using the Falcon 9 carrier rocket. This military reconnaissance satellite, named "Reconnaissance Satellite 1", is a low orbit satellite that orbits the Earth at an altitude of 400 to 600 kilometers. It is equipped with electronic optics and infrared reconnaissance equipment, and the resolution of the captured images is said to reach 0.3 meters. According to the report, the "Reconnaissance Satellite 2" launched this time is equipped with synthetic aperture radar, which has the ability to penetrate clouds, conduct night reconnaissance, and identify disguised targets. It can take all-weather photos without being affected by meteorological conditions. Its image resolution is slightly low and can complement the advantages of Reconnaissance Satellite 1. In recent years, South Korea has attached great importance to the construction of space military reconnaissance capabilities. Previously, the South Korean military's acquisition of space-based intelligence information mainly relied on the military civilian joint use of the "South Korean Multipurpose Earth Observation Satellite" project. The project plans a total of 7 "Arirang" series satellites, with the exception of "Arirang 5" and "Arirang 6" which are radar imaging satellites, the rest are optical imaging satellites. Among them, the Arirang-3A satellite, which was successfully launched in 2015, captured images with a resolution of 0.7 meters, reaching the mainstream level of international optical imaging reconnaissance satellites. On this basis, South Korea will fully launch the "425 Project" for high-resolution surveillance satellites in 2022. This is South Korea's first satellite project driven by military demand, with the aim of ensuring that the country has four synthetic aperture radar satellites and one optical reconnaissance satellite independently. The currently launched Reconnaissance Satellite 1 and Reconnaissance Satellite 2 are both part of the 425 project. It is reported that South Korea plans to send all five military reconnaissance satellites from the "425 Project" into space by 2025, allowing South Korea to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance in specific areas every 2 hours. In addition, the South Korean military is also developing a small and micro reconnaissance satellite system as an important supplement to military reconnaissance satellites. According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean military is advancing its plan to develop and launch 50 to 60 small and micro reconnaissance satellites before 2030, thereby compressing the revisit cycle of reconnaissance satellites to within 30 minutes. South Korea is vigorously promoting the militarization of space, attempting to build reconnaissance, communication, and command and control capabilities through the development of the National Defense Space Strategy and other means, enhance its space military strength, and achieve the goal of becoming a major space power by 2035. In 2021, the South Korean Ministry of Defense announced the establishment of the Security Space Development Working Committee. In December 2022, the South Korean Air Force established the Space Operations Brigade responsible for space operations
Edit：Luo yu Responsible editor：Wang er dong
Source：China national defense daily
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