Astrium has been contracted by the South Korean Aerospace and Research Institute (KARI) to design and manufacture the country’s first multifunctional geostationary satellite, COMS (Communication, Ocean and Meterological Satellite).
The highly advanced satellite will carry three payloads, one for meteorology, one for ocean observation and one for communications. COMS will provide meteorological data to end-users around the globe, oceanographic data for the Korean peninsula and experimental Ka-band broadband and multimedia communications services.
COMS is the third Earth observation spacecraft to be designed and manufactured for the Asia-Pacific region by Astrium, confirming the company’s leading position in this market. The overall programme is coordinated by KARI with the participation of several ministries in South Korea. Astrium is responsible for system and satellite design, satellite development and technical support to KARI for ground segment development and launch services.
The spacecraft will weigh around 2.6 tonnes at launch and will have 2.5 kW of electrical power at end of life. The satellite, operating from geostationary orbit, will provide services for a minimum of seven years. COMS is based on Astrium’s Eurostar E3000 avionics system, with some adaptations to accommodate the optical payload constraints (addition of Fibre Optics Gyros, 5 wheel stack, payload mission management).
COMS is scheduled for launch by an Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana, in 2009.
