S Korea's Arirang 6 satellite launch reportedly delayed to 2027

The launch of South Korea’s Arirang 6 multipurpose satellite has been delayed until after Q3 2027 due to issues with an Italian satellite set to share the same rocket, sources told The Korea Herald.

Arirang 6, a project valued at 370 billion won (US$255 million), was completed in 2022.

The Korea Aerospace Administration was informed by France-based Arianespace, operator of the Vega-C rocket, that the delay is linked to development problems with Italy’s Platino 1 satellite.

The two satellites were scheduled to launch together on the Vega-C, which was developed by Italy.

🔗 Source: Yonhap

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KOMPSAT-5 has outlived its design life; any near-term Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) gap depends on its status

South Korea’s Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite (KOMPSAT)-5 outlived its 5-year design life and was still operating in 2020 per mission documentation 1.
It delivers 1-meter SAR imagery for disaster monitoring and all-weather views of the Korean peninsula 1.
Arirang 6 will launch after Q3 2027. If KOMPSAT-5 keeps working it would preserve coverage, though its age adds reliability risk. The sources here do not confirm status beyond 2020.

Commercial SAR providers can fill near-term demand from Korean agencies

Finland-based ICEYE works in South Korea through Asia Pacific Satellite Inc., a local distributor, to supply SAR imagery to government and commercial users 2.
Geospatial analytics platforms or satellite-imagery resellers can target South Korean government agencies needing supplemental SAR coverage 1. Focus on users that require higher revisit rates (how often a satellite can image the same area) than KOMPSAT-5’s 28-day repeat cycle.
ICEYE offers up to 1-meter resolution with higher revisit frequency 3. The company had launched 16 satellites by January 2022 and is building toward an approximately 18-satellite constellation 3.