DAEJEON, SOUTH KOREA — A European satellite manufacturer has announced that it will be developing high performance "dancing satellites" for South Korea.<br /><br />Thales Alenia Space announced in a press release that it had signed contracts with Korean Aerospace Industries and Hanwha Systems Corp. to build four high-resolution radar satellites for the Agency of Defense Development in South Korea.<br /><br />The company will provide the synthetic aperture radar payloads for the remote sensing satellites, which will allow all-day imaging of the Earth, even through cloud cover.<br /><br />The SAR satellites will be fitted with a specialized 5-meter antenna, which will be folded as 24 "petals" and open once in space.<br /><br />Korean authorities will reportedly be using the constellation of satellites for "surveillance, intelligence and control of specific areas of interest."<br /><br />The collaboration, known as the 425 project, is the latest venture between Thales Alenia Space and South Korea. The company has previously worked on a number of space programs, including KOMPSAT-5 and KASS.
