S. Korean satellite successfully launched into orbit

South Korea’s third multipurpose satellite, Arirang 3, was successfully launched into the orbit from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan at 1:39 am.

The satellite made first contact with ground stations indicating that it has entered a correct trajectory, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) said.

The Troll and Svalbard satellite stations located in Antarctica and Norway also made contacts followed by signals being received by the Daejeon-based Korea Aerospace Research Institute, it said.

The satellite will take up its orbital station 685 kilometers from the earth’s surface, circling the earth 14 times a day.

The nation’s first high-resolution sub-meter satellite is equipped with an electro-optical camera with a resolution of around 70 centimeters, enabling Seoul to take more precise pictures of weather front developments and the planet’s surface for four years.

At present, only the US, Europe and Israel operate the sub-meter satellites with a resolution of less than one meter.