The land observation satellite No. 3 and No. 4 development project pushed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport passed a preliminary feasibility study on August 26. With a total investment of 312.9 billion won, No. 3 is scheduled to launch in 2030 and No. 4 in 2031, and for the first time in a public satellite project a procurement method under which a private company directly develops, manufactures and supplies the satellite will be applied.
 [코리안투데이] Korea’s Dokdo captured by land observation satellite No. 2 during trial operation © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Minister Kim Yun-deok) announced that the development project for land observation satellites No. 3 and No. 4 had passed a preliminary feasibility study. The project applied for the study in November 2024, was selected as a candidate project in January 2025, and received final approval on August 26, 2026.
Land observation satellites No. 3 and No. 4 are next-generation land observation satellites that will carry out continuous national land monitoring in preparation for the end of the missions of the currently operating No. 1 and No. 2 satellites (Next-Generation Mid-Sized Satellites 1 and 2). The ministry plans to upgrade the observation swath, resolution and imaging methods compared with No. 1 and No. 2. The land observation satellites are Korea’s first satellites dedicated to meeting public demand and building spatial information, and they are used for land management, disaster response and the construction of national spatial information. No. 1 was launched in March 2021 and is in operation, while No. 2 was launched in May 2026 and is in the trial operation stage.
The passage of the feasibility study is significant not only because it confirms the need for follow-on satellites but also because it officially recognizes the land observation satellites as an ‘irreplaceable’ data infrastructure for citizens’ daily lives and national land management. The benefits of the No. 3 and No. 4 development project were estimated at a constant value of about 471 billion won based on the actual use cases and accumulated track record of No. 1, and the benefit-cost ratio (B/C) came out to 1.11, demonstrating economic feasibility in a domestic satellite development project. Since imagery from land observation satellite No. 1 entered official service in December 2021, it has been used for monitoring major changes in the national territory and managing facilities, agriculture and forestry, disaster response and building spatial information; as of the end of 2025, some 1.6 million images had been provided to central administrative agencies, local governments and public institutions or served to the public.
From the residents’ standpoint, the project means that public data directly tied to daily life, such as disaster response, monitoring of changes to the national territory and spatial information services, will be provided continuously without any gap in satellite missions. The ministry expects this economic analysis to serve as a case that translates actual operational results into economic benefits and objectively explains the utility value of public satellites.
The project also draws attention for its shift in procurement method. Departing from the previous state-led research and development (R&D) approach, the government presents the required missions and performance while private companies develop, manufacture and supply the satellites — a method applied for the first time to public satellite development. Once a market for satellites needed by the state is formed, private firms can advance their technological capabilities and secure a foundation for entering overseas markets, which is expected to contribute to revitalizing the domestic satellite industry ecosystem and strengthening its competitiveness. The ministry views the project as an opportunity to expand private-sector participation in developing various public satellites and to invigorate government satellite purchases going forward, as well as a pioneering case that provides guidelines for follow-on public satellite procurement projects.
To push the project forward swiftly, the ministry plans to firm up its implementation plan by the end of this year and launch the main project in 2027, preparing so that there is no disruption to the satellite launch schedule. Meanwhile, land observation satellite No. 2, launched in May 2026, is currently in trial operation, including functional checks and calibration and validation of satellite imagery, and it is scheduled to be operated alongside No. 1 from the end of this year to be put into full-fledged public service. The ministry said that the excellent ground observation performance of No. 2 had also been confirmed in imagery captured during the trial operation period.
Kim Won-dae, director of the National Geographic Information Institute, said, ‘The passage of the feasibility study for the development of land observation satellites No. 3 and No. 4 is the result of the satellites being recognized as core national infrastructure needed for state administration and public services, as well as an asset with economic value.’ He added, ‘It is especially meaningful in that we proved economic feasibility based on the actual operational results of land observation satellite No. 1.’ He went on to stress, ‘Land observation satellites No. 3 and No. 4 represent a new attempt to actively use the outstanding satellite development capabilities of private companies in the public sector, and the ministry will successfully carry out this project to expand high-quality satellite imagery and spatial information services that citizens can feel, and contribute to the sustained growth of the domestic satellite industry.’
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