SpaceX Falcon 9 launches... Satellite-based climate environment monitoring

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches... Satellite-based climate environment monitoring

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Cho Seung-han = Nara Space, a microsatellite company, announced on the 2nd that Korea's first methane observation satellite, 'Gyeonggi Sat-2A', succeeded in two-way communication with a ground station after launch.

Gyeonggi Sat-2A was launched at 11:32 a.m. on the 1st local time (3:32 a.m. on the 2nd Korean time) on a Space

The satellite separated from orbit 55 minutes after launch and completed two-way communication with the satellite control center at Nara Space headquarters.

According to Nara Space, Gyeonggi Sat-2A is the world's fourth methane observation microsatellite, following Canada, Spain, and France.

Equipped with a hyperspectral sensor specialized for methane observation, the light reflected from the surface is divided into detailed wavelengths and observed, and the emission source is detected using the characteristic of methane absorbing light of a specific wavelength.

It is a methane observation satellite of the Gyeonggi Climate Satellite Project, which is being promoted through cooperation between Gyeonggi Province, Nara Space, and Seoul National University’s Climate Research Center.

It will be built with three satellites, and Gyeonggi Sat-1 was launched in November last year and is currently carrying out an Earth observation mission.

Professor Soo-jong Jeong of Seoul National University emphasized the importance of the launch, saying, "Greenhouse gas monitoring goes beyond providing scientific basis for responding to climate change and is changing its role to a core infrastructure for energy security that understands the energy status of countries, companies, and local governments." He added, "Korea's first greenhouse gas satellite will play a very important role in Korea's energy security in the future."

Park Jae-pil, CEO of Nara Space, said, “The successful landing of Gyeonggi Sat-2A in orbit is meaningful in that it is the first in Korea to objectively measure methane using a microsatellite.”

He added, "As recent satellite-based global methane emissions data has high value and scarcity in terms of the carbon emissions market and energy security, we will contribute to establishing space data sovereignty and leading the environmental data market through Gyeonggi Sat and our own methane observation satellite constellation 'Narsha', which is being prepared for launch in the future."