South Korea launches first nanosatellite under the operation name "BTS"

South Korea has successfully launched its first homegrown nano-cluster satellite, marking a significant milestone in the country's space technology development. 

The rocket carrying the satellite roared into the sky, separating the lower part of the launch vehicle and the fairing before releasing the satellite at an altitude of 500km, just 50 minutes after liftoff.

South Korea has successfully launched its first domestically developed earth observation nanosatellite, NEONSAT-1, as part of its ambitious project to establish a satellite constellation by 2027, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on April 24.

NEONSAT-1 successfully communicated with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's ground station in Daejeon, South Chungcheong Province, at around 11:57 a.m., reporting its operational status after circling the Earth twice.

A Ministry of Science and ICT official stated, "The overall condition of the satellite was found to be good, with solar panels deployed normally and producing stable power."

Developed by the state-run Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology for mass production, NEONSAT-1, less than 100 kilograms in weight with a resolution of 1 meter, is the first among 11 nanosatellites to form a satellite constellation to monitor and take images of the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding waters.

NEONSAT stands for New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety. The launch project was named BTS, short for "The Beginning of the Swarm," by the launch service provider Rocket Lab.

KAIST plans to test the performance of the satellite and optical payload of NEONSAT-1 as originally planned in the orbit of 500 kilometers and above for a month and check the quality of the observation images for five months. When the inspection is completed in November, it is expected to perform Earth observation missions, the Science Ministry said.