1 of 2 | Arianespace launches a Vega C from Kourou, French Guiana , sending a South Korean KOMPSAT-7 satellite into Earth orbit. Photo by Arianespace/newsroom
Arianespace on Monday launched a Vega C, sending South Korea’s KOMPSAT-7 satellite into Earth orbit, the sixth flight by the French-based company this year.
The rocket lifted off at 2:21 p.m. local time from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America. The mission is designated VV28 and KOMPSAT stands for KOrea Multi-Purpose SATellite-7.
Forty-four minutes later, the satellite went into a sun-synchronous orbit 358 miles above Earth.
The satellite circles Earth’s poles over the same spot each solar day.
It was the ninth South Korean satellite placed into orbit by Arianespace.
The Korean Aerospace Research Institute built the 2,900-pound KOMPSAT-7 in Daejeon. It is the bigger successor to the KOMPSAT-3A launched in March 2025.
Arianespace calls the satellite “one of the world’s most advanced ultra-high-resolution optical satellites.”
“By launching the KOMPSAT-7 satellite, set to significantly enhance South Korea’s Earth observation capabilities, Arianespace is proud to support an ambitious national space program,” Arianespace CEO David Cavailloles said in a news release. “This mission marks the fourth satellite Arianespace has launched for the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.
The satellite provides high-resolution satellite images for South Korea’s governmental and institutional needs. The satellite was developed in Daejeon, South Korea.
It features a high-precision optical camera and a significantly faster onboard computer than its predecessor. This allows it to capture and transmit large amounts of data in real-time.
The satellite can easily point to different targets with a gyroscope, which uses gimbals to angle a spinning rotor, inducing a torque that changes the craft’s orientation, Astromy.com reported.
Arianespace has successfully launched more than 1,100 satellites for more than 150 customers in 50 countries. Ten percent of the satellites are Earth observation ones.
Arianespace, a subsidiary of ArianeGrup, is joint venture between Airbus and Safran, and was founded in 1980.
On Thursday, South Korea confirmed the successful launch of its homegrown space rocket Nuri, which took off from Naro Space Center, with the main unit of the 13 satellites deployed, establishing communication with King Sejong Station in Antarctica.
The 200-ton Nuri blasted off in southern coastal village of Goheung, about 205 miles south of Seoul, at 1:13 a.m.
