Korea successfully launches environment-monitoring Cheollian Satellite 2B

[Photo by the Ministry of Science and ICT]

South Korea’s geostationary earth orbit satellite was successfully launched into orbit, ready for its mission of observing the marine ecosystem around the Korean Peninsula for the next 10 years.

The Cheollian Satellite 2B blasted off from the European Space Agency rocket launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, an overseas region of France on the northeast coast of South America, at 7:18 p.m. Tuesday (local time).

The launch went off without a hitch, with the satellite detaching from its carrier about 30 minutes from takeoff and making contact with the ground station in Yatharagga, Australia eight minutes later.

The Cheollian Satellite 2B would spend about a month spiraling up into higher orbit before resting at a geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers from earth. It is one of the twin satellites to replace Cheollian Satellite 1, which has been in orbit since 2010.

The enhanced new satellite would be able to monitor in real time the various movements related to the marine environment, including harmful algal blooms, melting of sea ice and oil spills, as well as the movements of more than 20 different air pollutants. This is expected to significantly raise the accuracy of air pollution forecasts and help set up effective environmental policies compared with relying on just on-the-ground observation data.

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