KOMPSAT-Series Earth Observation Satellites

Satrec Initiative (SI) is South Korea’s pioneering commercial satellite company, founded in 1999 by the engineers who developed Korea’s first satellite (KITSAT-1 in 1992). The company was deeply involved in developing South Korea’s KOMPSAT (Arirang) Earth observation satellite series for the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

KOMPSAT-5 (SI-SAR-1) carries a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload providing all-weather 1-meter resolution imaging, while KOMPSAT-3A provides 0.5 m panchromatic resolution — both at the cutting edge of commercial resolution at their time of launch. SI developed key subsystems including the satellite bus, attitude control, and ground systems for multiple KOMPSAT missions.

Beyond KOMPSAT, Satrec Initiative designs and manufactures its own commercial Earth observation satellites: SpaceEye-1 (launched 2023) achieved 0.3 m sub-meter resolution from a 500 kg satellite — the highest resolution available from any non-US commercial satellite at the time. SI exports satellites to the UAE (DubaiSat-1, DubaiSat-2), Malaysia (RazakSAT), and other countries.