KOMPSAT-3

KOMPSAT-3 (Arirang-3, Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-3) is a Korean sub-metre high-resolution optical Earth-observation mission developed and operated by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), launched on 17 May 2012 (UTC) by a JAXA H-IIA vehicle. KARI describes KOMPSAT-3 as Korea's first sub-metre EO satellite. The satellite flies in a sun-synchronous LEO at 675-685 km altitude with 98.1 degree inclination and a 15 km swath; WMO OSCAR and CEOS differ on the altitude by catalogue convention. WMO OSCAR lists the satellite operational as of January 2026 with the planned decommission date of 2025 having passed, indicating extended operations.^[1][2]

The primary payload is the Advanced Earth Imaging Sensor System (AEISS), providing sub-metre panchromatic and multispectral optical imaging. Commercial tasking through distributors including SI Imaging Services has been available; current 2026 SLA terms were not confirmed from operator sources. Application domains include urban change monitoring, transport infrastructure assessment, disaster damage assessment, land cover change mapping, and agriculture.^[3][4]