Overview
- Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral at 1:09 a.m. U.S. time placed the spacecraft in its target orbit about 14 minutes after liftoff.
- The defense ministry reported stable communication with a ground station roughly an hour after launch, indicating normal operation.
- The five-satellite 425 Project—four SAR and one EO/IR—shifts Seoul toward independent, all-weather surveillance with SAR sensors resolving objects around 30 centimeters.
- Satellites 1–3 are deployed, No. 4 is under operational evaluation, and the newly launched No. 5 enters testing before full service.
- Officials say the cluster will enable monitoring of North Korea at about two-hour intervals and bolster the military’s Kill Chain, with plans to add small satellites and pursue domestic launch capability.