Since its launch in March， Korea′s first multi－purpose satellite has undergone testing
processes readying it for commercial service.
With its high－resolution camera， the satellite can provide clear images of the Earth′s
surface day and night.
Park Se－young has the story.
This is a clear image of New York City′s Central Park.
And here we see Palm Islands， the largest artificial island in the world， and Burj
Khalifa， the world′s tallest skyscraper， …both in Dubai.
These images from around the world were taken last month by Arirang 3A， …Korea′s first
domestically－developed， multi－purpose satellite.
According to the Ministry of Science， ICT and Future Planning， the satellite， which
launched in March， will provide commercial services starting this month.
The satellite underwent eight months of performance inspections and is now optimized for use.
Equipped with powerful optical telescopes， Arirang 3A can provide clear images of any
object on Earth， providing that object is larger than 55 centimeters in diameter.
With its temperature－sensitive infrared sensors， the satellite can also monitor
changes on the Earth′s surface day and night …regardless of the weather.
High－resolution images provided by the satellite will be used for various purposes like observing
environmental pollution and analyzing damage from forest fires.
Korea is expected to gain competitiveness within the commercial satellite imagery market
once it begins selling the images.
Park Se－young， Arirang News