Article Posted on : - Jan 13, 2009

Japan's H-IIA Launch Vehicle. JAXA image

SEOUL (BNS): The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has requested the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) to launch the Korea Multipurpose Satellite-3 (KOMPSAT-3). The launch, which is slated to take place in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, was signed by here by MHI President Hideaki Omiya on Monday.

An MHI official said that the KOMPSAT-3 mission objective is to provide satellite earth observation continuing from the KOMPSAT-1 and KOMPSAT-2 systems. KOMPSAT-3 is capable of higher image resolution than KOMPSAT-1 and -2 and can provide high-resolution electro-optical (EO) images required for geographical information systems (GIS) and other environmental, agricultural and oceanographic monitoring applications. It will operate from a sun-synchronous orbit, the official said.

KOMPSAT-3, which measures 2 meters in diameter and 3.5 meters in height, will be transported by ship from Korea to Tanegashima in Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture for launching by MHI’s H-IIA launch vehicle at the Tanegashima Space Center of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

JAXA’s GCOM-W (Global Change Observation Mission - Water), which is to undertake water-related observation from the sun-synchronous orbit will also be launched simultaneously from Tanegasima Centre.

Based on the Korean agency’s request in 2007, MHI proposed to launch the services for KOMPSAT-3 by the H-IIA, and in October 2008, MHI was selected as the Successful Bidder for the launch services provider (LSP). Through subsequent detailed negotiations, KARI and MHI agreed to finalise the contract, an official said.

The H-IIA launch vehicle is Japan's key launch vehicle, having already successfully concluded 13 of 14 launches. Since the seventh launch in February 2005, the H-IIA launch vehicle has recorded eight consecutive successful launches, a success rate equal to those of LSPs in Europe and the US. MHI plans to launch the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) by H-IIA No.15 in January 2009.