The company said Friday that it held a project kickoff meeting on Feb. 4 (local time) at L3Harris’ site in Fort Wayne, Indiana, formalizing a cooperation framework between the two companies.
The Cheollian Satellite 5 program is designed for a private company, rather than the government, to serve as the lead R&D organization and carry out the full process from satellite design to manufacturing, testing and integration.
Under the agreement, L3Harris will handle the payload’s core design and development, while LIG Nex1 will oversee domestic quality control, performance testing and system integration with the satellite bus, the company said.
The new payload is expected to significantly improve forecast accuracy and timeliness compared with the currently operating Cheollian Satellite 2A. It will be optimized for observing East Asia, including the Korean Peninsula, and will include hazardous weather tracking and monitoring functions.
LIG Nex1 previously signed a 274.5 billion won agreement with the Korea Meteorological Industry Technology Institute to develop the Cheollian Satellite 5 weather payload.
A LIG Nex1 official said the partnership is “a strategic cooperation model” that goes beyond a simple technology transfer by integrating advanced space technology into South Korea’s development system and building expertise. The official said it will serve as a key foundation for expanding localization and strengthening technological self-reliance in next-generation satellite programs.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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