
Government/Top Secret

Note: Name of payload is provisional. First launch of an ultimately 5 reconnaissance satellites for the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), with 1 satellite featuring an electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) telescope. The other 4 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites are to be launched at a later date. They will be launched to low Earth orbit between 600 and 700 km by 2025, enabling South Korea’s military to observe the nuclear-armed neighbor’s key military facilities every two hours with 30-50 centimeters resolution imagery, according to a 2019 report produced by the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning. The project is lead by the Korean Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), with input from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Hanwha Systems and Thales Alenia Space. ESA's EIRSAT-1 is also onboard as a rideshare passenger. This 2U cubesat carries three experiments, including a novel gamma ray detector to study some of the most luminous explosions in the universe.
Orbital Attempt
#6,562
SpX Mission
#303
Pad Launch
#126
Location Launch
#736
Designator
2023-185
Dec 1, 2023, 6:19 PM
Minute
1 update
6:04 PM
Window Open
7:18 PM
Window Close
Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) is a launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, U.S. The pad was previously used by Atlas and Titan rockets between 1963 and 2005. The pad was built for use by Atlas-Agena rockets, but was later rebuilt to handle Titan rockets.
Total Launches
284
Orbital Attempts
284
Fastest Turnaround
2d 7h
Vandenberg Space Force Base is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base, equivalent to an Air Force air base wing. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.
Timezone
America/Los_Angeles
Local Launch Time
Dec 1, 2023, 10:19 AM
Total Launches
900
Total Landings
35
Coordinates
34.7513, -120.5202