Falcon 9 Block 5 | 425 Project Flight 1 & rideshare

Note: Name of payload is provisional. First launch of an ultimately 5 reconnaissance satellites for the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), with 1 satellite featuring an electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) telescope. The other 4 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites are to be launched at a later date. They will be launched to low Earth orbit between 600 and 700 km by 2025, enabling South Korea’s military to observe the nuclear-armed neighbor’s key military facilities every two hours with 30-50 centimeters resolution imagery, according to a 2019 report produced by the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning. The project is lead by the Korean Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), with input from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Hanwha Systems and Thales Alenia Space. ESA's EIRSAT-1 is also onboard as a rideshare passenger. This 2U cubesat carries three experiments, including a novel gamma ray detector to study some of the most luminous explosions in the universe.

Government/Top Secret · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)

• B1061 · flight 17 · Return to Launch Site @ Landing Zone 4 · landed ✓ · last flew Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 7-5 · zone record 35/35

• SpaceX 425 Project Flight 1 & rideshare — The Space Devs
• SpaceX launches South Korean spy satellite and more, lands in California — VideoFromSpace
• Ad Astra: Launch of EIRSAT-1 — European Space Agency, ESA
• Korea 425 Mission — SpaceX

• Launch success.

  Cosmic_Penguin · 12/2/2023 · source

• Liftoff

  Nosu · 12/1/2023 · source

• Livestream has started

  LL2 · 12/1/2023 · source

• Adjusting T-0 and setting GO

  SwGustav · 11/30/2023 · source

• Adjusting T-0

  Nosu · 11/29/2023 · source

• Delayed to December 1

  Nosu · 11/28/2023 · source

• Updated launch window.

  Cosmic_Penguin · 11/24/2023 · source

• Adding approximate launch time

  Nosu · 11/24/2023 · source

• Added launch (payload details at https://spacenews.com/south-korea-hires-spacex-to-launch-five-spy-satellites-by-2025/).

  Cosmic_Penguin · 11/3/2023 · source