KT launches Mugunghwa 5A satellite
KT SAT’s broadcasting and telecommunication satellite, Mugunghwa 5A, was successfully launched from the United States, according to the company, Wednesday.
The satellite service-providing arm of KT said a rocket carrying the satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 3:34 p.m. on Monday (local time).
The satellite will enter a geostationary orbit Nov. 12 and will undergo performance tests for a month.
The Mugunghwa 5A was manufactured by French company Thales Alenia Space. SpaceX, a U.S. aerospace company established by Tesla founder Elon Musk, carried out the launch. It was the first time for SpaceX to carry a Korean satellite, KT SAT said.
With the Mugunghwa 5A, which will replace the Mugunghwa 5 as its mission expires in 2021, Korea now has five geostationary satellites including the Mugunghwa 6, 7 and the Cheollian satellite.
As the Mugunghwa 5A satellite is capable of providing broadcasting and telecommunication services in an extensive area from China to the Middle East, it is drawing attention from governments and enterprises in the region, the company said.
“The Mugunghwa 5A can provide services in India, China and the Middle East. It is also capable of providing global satellite telecommunication and ocean satellite internet of things (IoT) services,” KT SAT CEO Han Won-sik said.
The Mugunghwa 5A is the second satellite KT SAT has launched this year, following the Mugunghwa 7, which went into orbit in May.
The Mugunghwa 7 was deployed to provide satellite services in Asian regions including the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and India.
The company said it will expand global coverage and boost its satellite-based IoT service business, aiming to become the world’s seventh largest satellite service provider by 2020.
“KT SAT seeks to be a leader in the global satellite service industry. We will establish a ubiquitous satellite-based IoT service environment, connected to KT’s fifth-generation ground network infrastruc- ture,” Han said.
KT SAT said the Mugunghwa 5A is already drawing global interest. The company signed a major deal with Mongolia’s top satellite TV enterprise DDISH TV to lease four relay units in the new satellite. Under the deal, the Mugunghwa 5A will provide satellite broadcasting services for all of Mongolia.
The company also said it is seeking to expand its presence in maritime satellite telecommunication services with the new satellite.
The Mugunghwa 5A has a high-powered maritime telecommunication beam that can provide services in the East Sea, the South and East China Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
The company said this new equipment is expected to boost its maritime high-speed data transmission service, which provides unlimited data communication to allow not just high-speed internet but also internet-based voice calls and IoT services on ships
“Governments and telecom companies in multiple countries including Thailand and Pakistan are showing interest in the Mugunghwa 5A satellite,” a KT SAT official said.