processes readying it for commercial service. With its high－resolution camera， the satellite

can provide clear images of the Earth′s surface day and night.

Park Se－young has the story. This is a clear image of New York City′s

Central Park. And here we see Palm Islands， the largest

artificial island in the world， and Burj Khalifa， the world′s tallest skyscraper，

…both in Dubai. These images from around the world were taken

last month by Arirang 3A， …Korea′s first domestically－developed， multi－purpose

satellite. According to the Ministry of Science， ICT

and Future Planning， the satellite， which launched in March， will provide commercial

services starting this month. The satellite underwent eight months of performance

inspections and is now optimized for use. Equipped with powerful optical telescopes，

Arirang 3A can provide clear images of any object on Earth， providing that object is

larger than 55 centimeters in diameter. With its temperature－sensitive infrared

sensors， the satellite can also monitor changes on the Earth′s surface day and night

…regardless of the weather. High－resolution images provided by the satellite

will be used for various purposes like observing environmental pollution and analyzing damage

from forest fires. Korea is expected to gain competitiveness

within the commercial satellite imagery market once it begins selling the images.

Park Se－young， Arirang News