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KAIST’s Next-Generation Small Satellite-2 Completes a Two-Year Mission – the Successful Observation of Arctic and Forest Changes
KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) announced on the 25th of May that the Next-Generation Small Satellite-2 developed by the Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC, Director Jaeheung Han) and launched aboard the third Nuri rocket from the Naro Space Center at 18:24 on May 25, 2023, has successfully completed its two-year core mission of verifying homegrown Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology and conducting all-weather Earth observations.
The SAR system onboard the satellite was designed, manufactured, and tested domestically for the first time by KAIST’s Satellite Research Center. As of May 25, 2025, it has successfully completed its two-year in-orbit technology demonstration mission.
Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the SAR system was mounted on the 100 kg-class Next-Generation Small Satellite-2, marking a major step forward in the miniaturization and weight reduction of spaceborne radar systems and strengthening Korea’s competitiveness in satellite technology.
< Figure 1. Conceptual diagram of Earth observation by the Next-Generation Small Satellite No. 2's synthetic aperture radar >
The developed SAR is an active sensor that uses electromagnetic waves, allowing all-weather image acquisition regardless of time of day or weather conditions. This makes it especially useful for monitoring regions like the Korean Peninsula, which frequently experiences rain and cloud cover, as it can observe even in cloudy and rainy conditions or darkness.
Since its launch, the satellite has carried out three to four image acquisitions per day on average, undergoing functionality checks and technology verifications. To date, it has completed over 1,200 Earth observations and the SAR continues to perform stably, supporting ongoing observation tasks even beyond its designated mission lifespan.
< Photo 1. Researchers of the Next-Generation Small Satellite No. 2 at SatRec, taken at the KAIST ground station. (From left) Sung-Og Park, Jung-soo Lee, Hongyoung Park, TaeSeong Jang (Next-Generation Small Satellite No. 2 Project Manager), Seyeon Kim, Mi Young Park, Yongmin Kim, DongGuk Kim >
Although still in the domestic technology verification stage, KAIST’s Satellite Research Center has been collaborating with the Korea Polar Research Institute (Director Hyoung Chul Shin) and the Korea National Park Research Institute (Director Jin Tae Kim) since March 2024 to prioritize imaging of areas of interest related to Arctic ice changes and forest ecosystem monitoring.
KAIST’s Satellite Research Center is conducting repeated observations of Arctic sea ice, and the Remote Sensing and Cryosphere Information Center of the Korea Polar Research Institute is analyzing the results using time-series data to precisely track changes in sea ice area and structure due to climate change.
< Photo 2. Radar Images from Observations on July 24, 2024 - Around the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana, USA. The Wax Lake Delta is seen growing like a leaf. >
Recently, the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), by integrating observation data from the Next-Generation Small Satellite No. 2 and the European Space Agency's (ESA) Sentinel-1, detected a significant increase of 15 km² in the area of an ice lake behind Canada's Milne Ice Shelf (a massive, floating layer of ice where glaciers flow from land into the sea) between 2021 and 2025. This has exacerbated structural instability and is analyzed as an important sign indicating the acceleration of Arctic climate change.
Hyuncheol Kim, Director of the Remote Sensing and Cryosphere Information Center at the Korea Polar Research Institute, stated, “This research clearly demonstrates how vulnerable Arctic ice shelves are to climate change. We will continue to monitor and analyze Arctic environmental changes using the SAR aboard the Next-Generation Small Satellite-2 and promote international collaboration.” He added, “We also plan to present these findings at international academic conferences and expand educational and outreach efforts to raise public awareness about changes in the Arctic environment.”
< Photo 3. Sinduri Coastal Dune, Taean Coastal National Park, Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do >
In collaboration with the Climate Change Research Center of the National Park Research Institute, SAR imagery from the satellite is also being used to study phenological shifts due to climate change, the dieback of conifers in high-altitude zones, and landslide monitoring in forest ecosystems. Researchers are also analyzing the spatial distribution of carbon storage in forest areas using satellite data, comparing it with field measurements to improve accuracy.
Because SAR is unaffected by light and weather conditions, it can observe through fire and smoke during wildfires, making it an exceptionally effective tool for the regular monitoring of large protected areas. It is expected to play an important role in shaping future forest conservation policies.
In addition, KAIST’s Satellite Research Center is working on a system to convert the satellite’s technology demonstration data into standardized imagery products, with budget support from the Korea Aerospace Administration (Administrator Youngbin Yoon), making the data more accessible to research institutions and boosting the usability of the satellite’s observations.
< Photo 4. Jang Bogo Station, Antarctica >
Jaeheung Han, Director of the Satellite Research Center, said, “The significance of the Next-Generation Small Satellite-2 lies not only in the success of domestic development, but also in its direct contribution to real-world environmental analysis and national research efforts. We will continue to focus on expanding the application of SAR data from the satellite.”
KAIST President Kwang-Hyung Lee remarked, “This satellite is a product of KAIST’s advanced space technology and the innovation capacity of its researchers. Its success signals KAIST’s potential to lead in future space technology talent development and R&D, and we will continue to accelerate efforts in this direction.”
< Photo 5. Confirmation of changes in the expanded area of the Milne Ice Shelf lake using observation data from Next-Generation Small Satellite No. 2 and Sentinel-1 >
2025.05.25 View 10677 -
KAIST Elected to Universities Space Research Association Membership
KAIST joined the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) on May 4, and brought the Association to a total of 113 member universities. The expertise KAIST brings will broaden the Association’s collective strength in space-related science, technology, and engineering worldwide. Professor Hyosang Yoon from the Department of Aerospace Engineering will serve as the representative of KAIST to USRA.
KAIST was selected by USRA’s current university members, in recognition of its significant commitment in, and contributions to, the fields of space and aerospace research. Especially, KAIST have developed Korea's first satellite, KITSAT-1 in 1992, which paved the way for space research in Korea and helped the nation strengthen technological competitiveness in that field.
USRA was established in 1969 under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the United States. It is a non-profit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology, and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities, and conducts other major research and educational programs, using federal funding. USRA also engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise.
USRA’s President and CEO Dr. Jeffrey A. Isaacson said in his announcement, “We are delighted to welcome these two renowned universities as members. We look forward to their active engagement with, and contributions to, our Association.” President Isaacson visited KAIST on December 10 last year to discuss possible collaborations between two organizations.
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2020.05.29 View 14275 -
KAIST Launches Woorisae II
Professor Sejin Kwon from the Department of Aerospace Engineering and his team succeeded in launching a science rocket, named ‘Woorisae II’ at Saemanguem reclamation. This rocket was developed in collaboration with the Satellite Technology Research Lab (SaRTec).
The test-firing was conducted at 10:43 am on Sunday October 28, 2018 (35°N 42’ 06” 126°E 33’ 36”, Radius of 0.6NM). This launch was the follow-up to the previous launch that was cancelled due to not gaining approval for using the airspace.
Professor Kwon’s team put a great deal of effort into securing the land for the rocket launch. As a result, they got approval from the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency for the land and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the use of the airspace. The Republic of Korea Air Force and United States Air Force also approved the use of the airspace for the launch of the science rocket for research purposes.
Woorisae II is 2.2 meters long with a diameter of 20cm, and weighs 13kg without a payload. The rocket is powered by a hybrid rocket with hydrogen peroxide oxidizer producing 100 kg of force. The Woorisae II sounding rocket was designed to burn for five seconds and then continue inertial flight for 20 seconds. The target altitude of Woorisae II was set at 3,300 feet to comply with the airspace approval.
The team developed the core components, including a hybrid rocket propulsion system, flight computer and parachute recovery system, as well as a ground control station. The flight data was transmitted to the ground station and recorded to onboard computer memory.
When a malfunction occurs during the flight, Woorisae II was designed to terminate the power flight for safety by shutting the propellant valve and deploying the recovery parachute. All the rocket subsystems and components were developed and supplied by domestic startup companies such as INOCOM and NARA SPACE TEHCNOLOGY.
Generally, sounding rockets reach an altitude beyond 30km and are widely used for testing rocket engines and reentry materials as well as for conducting microgravity experiments. Instruments for atmospheric science can also be installed to measure fine dust and high altitude atmosphere. Besides these science and technology purposes, most advanced spacefaring countries have sounding rocket programs to train and educate young people in the field of space science.
Professor Kwon said, “We will plan to launch upgraded rockets on November 4 and December 6 because we already received approval from the related agencies for using this land and airspace. Based on the experiment, we are planning to develop a cost-efficient small launch vehicle that is capable of delivering a cube satellite into Earth’s orbit.”
(Photos of preparing the rocket launch)
2018.10.29 View 23720 -
KAIST hosts the first Can Satellite (Cansat) competition
Figure: The cansat is sent up into the air using a balloon and then separated at a certain height. The cansat slowly descends and sends terrestrial observation or atmospheric information back to earth.
KAIST will host the first ever Cansat Competition Korea, in which students from different age groups can participate in building and testing the performance of their custom satellites.
The Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC) at KAIST announced that it will take applications for the Cansat Competition Korea until May 25th. A cansat is a can-sized educational satellite that contains the basic elements of a real satellite. It is fired up to a few hundred meters in the air using balloons or small rockets and then separated like a real satellite, collecting data and sending the information back to earth. Cansat competitions are regularly held in the United States or Europe, where they have advanced space development programs, but this is the first time this competition will be held in Korea.
The competition caters to different age groups through a cansat experience science camp for elementary and middle school students and a cansat competition for high school and college students.
The science camp will be held from August 7th to 9th at KAIST and Sejong City and will include satellite education, visits to space development centers (KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute), hand-on experience with basic cansat kits, and other various programs.
The science camp will consist of a maximum of 20 teams comprised of students from fifth to ninth grade. Each team will have an advisory teacher and 3 to 4 students and can apply for the competition at no cost.
The cansat competition will test high school and college students on their personally designed and built can satellites along with the creativity of their mission and developmental outcome.
The preliminary review will choose a maximum of 15 teams, while the secondary review will select the 5 teams that will make the final competition based on their design presentation. On August 9th, these 5 teams will be evaluated on their technical ability, mission capacity and presentation skills. The winning team will be given the KAIST presidential award along with a trophy and prize money.
Doctor Park from KAIST SaTReC explained that countries with advanced space technology actively support cansat competitions to expand the base of the field. He emphasized Korea’s need for regular cansat competitions to actively promote potential space researchers.
More information on the competition can be found on the homepage (http://cansat.kaist.ac.kr) or at the KAIST SaTReC (042-350-8613~4)
2012.05.14 View 17763