Korean nanosatellite establishes contact after successful launch

A Korean nanosatellite has successfully entered orbit after lifting off from a launch site in New Zealand, as part of the nation's project to create a satellite constellation for Earth observation by 2027, officials said Friday. The NEONSAT-1A was deployed to a 540-kilometer low Earth orbit from the Electron rocket of U.S. space company Rocket Lab Corp. after launching from the company's Mahia Launch Complex in New Zealand at 2:21 p.m. (local time), or 10:21 a.m. (Korean time), according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA). KASA confirmed the satellite's successful deployment after it made its first contact with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's ground station in the central South Korean city of Daejeon at 1:12 p.m. (Korean time). The satellite is scheduled to begin its observation mission from July following a six-month test run conducted by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the developer of the nanosatellite, KASA said. It is the second among a total of 11 nanosatellites to form a satellite constellation aimed at monitoring and taking image