Jun 7 2003
From The Space Library
France's Alcatel Space signed a US$148 million contract with South Korea's state-operated KT Corporation to build South Korea's first satellite with military capabilities. South Korea planned to place Koreasat 5 in orbit by early 2006. KT Corporation spokesperson Cho Chul-Je told the media that South Korea's military would use military transponders on the satellite for communication and operation, but he declined to confirm reports that the craft would assist the military in collecting security information in Northeast Asia. The craft would also be equipped with commercial transponders. Koreasat 5 would replace Koreasat 2, which had launched in 1996, allowing telecommunications companies to expand mobile networks to Japan, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. (Agence France-Presse, “French Company To Build South Korea's First Military Satellite,” 8 June 2003.
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