South Korea is set to launch its fourth medium-sized Earth observation satellite on Tuesday from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the United States, using a Falcon 9 rocket operated by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. According to South Korean media reports, the satellite weighs about 500 kilograms and has completed all functional tests and fueling over the past month. It is now fully prepared for launch.

The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) stated that the satellite will separate from the rocket approximately two hours and 22 minutes after liftoff. About 31 minutes later, it is expected to make its first contact with the ground control center via the Svalbard ground station. The satellite carries several domestically developed instruments, including a camera capable of capturing images of the entire Korean Peninsula every three days.

The satellite will support applications in agriculture and forest management, monitoring of forest changes, disaster response, climate change analysis, and public safety enhancement.