South Korea's agriculture minister hails launch of country's first farming and forestry satellite

Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryeong celebrated the successful launch of South Korea's first domestically developed agriculture and forestry satellite, Next-Generation Medium Satellite 4, saying it marks the dawn of a new era for the country's farming and forestry sector.

Song said Tuesday that the satellite — South Korea's first agriculture and forestry-dedicated satellite — launched at 4:12 p.m. Tuesday (Korean Standard Time) and achieved its first overseas communication link at 7:05 p.m., before completing four additional contacts with overseas ground stations and establishing first contact with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute ground station in Daejeon at 10:50 p.m.

"The agriculture and forestry satellite will observe the entire Korean Peninsula on a three-day cycle, contributing to stable supply and demand of agricultural products and food security, and playing a major role in preemptively preventing damage to farmland and forests," Song said.

She also said the satellite would be used to survey farmland use and monitor compliance with the public-benefit direct payment program, improving administrative efficiency, while enabling proactive responses to sharp price swings in agricultural products through output forecasting and early detection of pests and diseases.

Song also expressed hope that the satellite would help secure South Korea's sovereignty over agricultural and forestry data and open the door to new business models.

"Above all, this launch is highly significant in that it allows us to secure data sovereignty over agriculture and forestry without relying on foreign imagery," she said, adding that the ministry expects the satellite to help create new business models — such as providing farmers with crop management guideline services through the phased opening of data.

Song said the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs would work with the Korea AeroSpace Administration, the Rural Development Administration and the Korea Forest Service to deliver more accurate and timely agricultural policy outcomes for both farmers and the public.

According to the Korea AeroSpace Administration, the Rural Development Administration and the Korea Forest Service, Next-Generation Medium Satellite 4 separated from the launch vehicle at an altitude of approximately 888 kilometers about two hours and 30 minutes after liftoff, and established its first contact with the Svalbard ground station in Norway 23 minutes later.

About six hours and 38 minutes after launch, the satellite made first contact with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute ground station in Daejeon.

After an initial operations phase, the satellite is set to begin full-scale missions in 2027, providing data on agricultural and forestry observation as well as disaster response, including wildfires.

The satellite is equipped with a wide observation swath of 120 kilometers and a resolution of 5 meters, enabling it to photograph the entire country on a three-day cycle and generate imagery data.