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Korea's first joint civilian-military communications satellite, the Mugunghwa 5, is scheduled for an Aug. 10 launch.
The satellite will be launched from international waters in the South Pacific, a Defense Ministry official said Tuesday. It will be sent into an orbit of 113 degrees east longitude some 36,000 km above Earth off the deck of a ship.
South Korea¡¯s first military communications satellite will offer a new mode of communication free from the topographical interference that hampered previous communication nets. Together with the new C4I (command, control, communication, computer and intelligence) command systems technology, which is gradually being introduced into Army units, the satellite will play a major role in boosting the combat effectiveness of Korean forces.
"Using the Mugunghwa 5, command will not only be able to dispatch communiqués to each and every officer, but voice communications with naval vessels will be possible anywhere and at any time, and text and video communications in real time will also be possible,¡± the ministry official said. The satellite has 12 relays for military use and 24 for the private sector. The military relays contain technology that can override enemy attempts to block frequencies. Korea Telecom and the Defense Ministry invested about W150 billion (US$1=W958) each in the satellite body and relays alone. The lifespan of the Mugunghwa 5 is set at 10 years, but the two parties expect to get 13-15 years of use out of it.
Sea Launch will be in charge of sending the satellite into orbit, after which the manufacturer, France's Alcatel, will run tests on satellite and relay equipment before passing control to KT and the ministry in November. The two partners are to sign an agreement on their joint operation of the satellite at KT headquarters in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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