Seoul, Feb. 9 (BNA) South Korea plans to develop a small satellite system by 2030 as part of a 1.42 trillion won (US$1.13 billion) project aimed at enhancing capabilities to monitor the Korean Peninsula and nearby waters, the arms procurement agency said Thursday. .
Yonhap news agency reported that the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) outlined the interagency plan at a meeting with the Ministry of Science, Coast Guard and National Intelligence Service in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul.
The project aims to develop and operate a group of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites and electro-optical satellites by 2030 to obtain information on the peninsula and the waters near it to prepare for marine and other emergencies, according to DAPA.
The government plans to select companies by the first half of this year to produce a prototype SAR and test-launch it in the second half of 2026. After the testing period, it seeks to start launching satellites in 2028.
The government has been pushing the project in an interagency format to ensure effective management of national space-based assets when they are deployed in the future, according to DAPA.