Seoul:South Korea is set to commence production of its inaugural satellite for the Korean Positioning System (KPS) with a launch scheduled for September 2029, as announced by the nation's space agency.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) will conduct a critical design review with various ministries and research institutions for the KPS No. 1 satellite. This review marks the final step before production of the flight model begins.
The KPS is designed to offer high-precision positioning, navigation, and timing services across the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas. The South Korean government has allocated 3.72 trillion won (approximately US$2.73 billion) for the project, which spans 14 years starting from 2022.
Although there has been a delay, KASA remains committed to deploying all eight KPS satellites by the year 2035.