Arianespace has been selected by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to launch KOMPSAT-7. Stephane Israël, Arianespace CEO, and Lim Cheol-Ho, President of KARI, signed the KOMPSAT-7 launch contract on 20th September.

Using a Vega C launcher, the mission will be conducted from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, no sooner than December 2021.

Arianespace and Korea’s satellite technology research centres have been working together for almost 30 years, including the launch of both scientific microsatellites (Kitsat A&B) and the multi-mission COMS satellite. Following the upcoming launches of GEO-KOMPSAT-2A & 2B, KOMPSAT-7 will be the fourth KARI satellite – as well as the ninth Korean satellite – to be orbited by Arianespace to date.

Developed by KARI at its facility in Daejeon, South Korea, KOMPSAT-7 will weigh approximately 2,000kg at launch, and will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit.

KOMPSAT-7 is the follow-up model of KOMPSAT-3A whose mission is to provide high-resolution satellite images to satisfy South Korea’s governmental and institutional needs.

Vega C will join the Arianespace’s family of launch vehicles beginning in 2019, alongside the company’s heavy-lift Ariane 5, the medium-lift Soyuz and the light-lift Vega – all operated from the Guiana Space Center.