ARIRANG-3 (KOMPSAT-3)

ARIRANG-3, also cataloged under the KOMPSAT-3 designation and tracked by the international community under NORAD ID 38338 and COSPAR designator 2012-025B, is a South Korean Earth observation satellite operated by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Launched in May 2012, it represents a significant milestone in South Korea's long-running effort to develop indigenous space-based remote sensing capabilities. The satellite circles Earth in a sun-synchronous orbit at altitudes between 686 and 695 kilometres and, as of the time of writing, remains in active orbit.

Mission and Purpose

ARIRANG-3 belongs to the Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite program, a series of Earth observation platforms whose name—Arirang—is drawn from one of the most widely recognized traditional Korean folk songs, a choice that reflects both cultural pride and the broader national ambitions embodied by the program. The earlier KOMPSAT-1 and KOMPSAT-2 satellites carried the same name and mission lineage, and ARIRANG-3 continues that tradition as the third in the series.

The program that eventually produced ARIRANG-3 had its roots in planning that began in 1995, meaning the satellite was the product of nearly two decades of sustained development, international collaboration, and iterative refinement of Korean aerospace engineering capacity. For a nation that had relatively limited experience in spacecraft development at the outset of that effort, bringing a sophisticated Earth observation payload to orbit by 2012 marked a genuine coming-of-age moment for South Korea's space sector.

Earth observation satellites in this class are typically designed to acquire high-resolution optical imagery of the planet's surface for a range of applications. These commonly include land use monitoring, environmental change detection, disaster response, agricultural planning, and infrastructure mapping. KARI's mission documentation for the KOMPSAT series has consistently emphasized civil and scientific applications, and ARIRANG-3 is understood to have been built around an advanced optical imaging instrument capable of collecting sub-meter resolution imagery—a significant capability at the time of its launch. Specific details about the precise instruments aboard, their resolution figures, or the exact scope of the mission as officially defined in the catalog entry consulted here are not recorded in the verified tracking data for this object, and readers seeking instrument-level specifics should consult KARI's official publications.

Orbit and Tracking

ARIRANG-3 operates in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a class of near-polar orbit engineered so that the satellite passes over any given location on the Earth's surface at approximately the same local solar time on each revisit. This orbital geometry is particularly valuable for Earth observation missions because it ensures that lighting conditions remain consistent from one imaging pass to the next, making it far easier to compare imagery acquired on different dates and detect genuine changes on the ground rather than artifacts introduced by shifting sun angles.

The satellite's tracked orbital parameters place its apogee at 695 kilometres and its perigee at 686 kilometres above Earth's surface—a nearly circular orbit with only about 9 kilometres of variation between its highest and lowest points. This tight circularity is characteristic of well-controlled operational remote sensing satellites, which benefit from the predictable ground footprint and consistent imaging geometry that a circular orbit provides. The orbital inclination is 98.1°, which is the slightly retrograde tilt required to maintain the sun-synchronous precession against Earth's equatorial bulge. One complete orbit takes approximately 98.4 minutes, meaning the satellite completes roughly 14 to 15 orbits of the planet every 24 hours.

For tracking purposes, the object is cataloged by the United States Space Surveillance Network under NORAD ID 38338 and carries the international COSPAR designator 2012-025B, where the "B" suffix indicates it was the second distinct object associated with the launch event designated 2012-025. Tracking data derived from ground-based radar and optical observations is routinely updated and made available through standard two-line element sets, allowing operators, researchers, and enthusiasts to compute the satellite's current position and predict future passes with high accuracy.

The orbit is stable. ARIRANG-3 has not undergone reentry or decay and continues to be tracked as an active payload.

Design and Operator

ARIRANG-3 is classified in the tracking catalog as a payload—that is, a functional spacecraft rather than a piece of launch hardware or debris. It was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on 17 May 2012, making Japan's Tanegashima facility the departure point for a satellite that represents South Korean national capability. The launch took place at 16:39 UTC on that date. This arrangement, while perhaps counterintuitive for a project centered on South Korean technological development, reflects a common pattern in the global space industry, where launch services are procured commercially or through bilateral agreements regardless of the spacecraft's country of origin.

The satellite is registered to South Korea as its owner nation, and KARI—the Korea Aerospace Research Institute—is the operating authority. KARI is the primary government space agency of South Korea, responsible for research, development, and operation across a range of space and aeronautical programs. The specific manufacturer of ARIRANG-3 is not recorded in the verified catalog data available here.

The satellite's mass is not documented in the tracking data consulted for this entry. While general figures for satellites in this class are sometimes available through mission literature, this article does not reproduce figures that cannot be confirmed against the verified record for this object specifically. Similarly, the mission's current operational status—whether ARIRANG-3 is actively downlinking imagery, in a reduced operational mode, or simply being maintained in orbit—is not captured in the tracking catalog and would require confirmation from KARI directly.

Significance and Legacy

The ARIRANG-3 mission sits within a broader arc of South Korean investment in space technology that has grown steadily more ambitious since the mid-1990s. When the program that became KOMPSAT-3 was first conceived in 1995, South Korea was still heavily reliant on foreign partners for virtually all aspects of satellite development. By the time ARIRANG-3 reached orbit in 2012, South Korean engineers and institutions had accumulated substantial experience through the earlier KOMPSAT satellites and associated programs, and the country was beginning to assert itself as a meaningful independent actor in the space domain.

For the Earth observation community specifically, the KOMPSAT series has contributed to a growing constellation of civilian high-resolution optical satellites operated by a widening pool of nations. The availability of multiple independent sources of satellite imagery—rather than reliance on a small number of providers—has been broadly recognized as beneficial for scientific research, humanitarian operations, and transparent environmental monitoring. ARIRANG-3 has added South Korean data capacity to that ecosystem.

The satellite's longevity in orbit is itself noteworthy. Having been launched in 2012, ARIRANG-3 has now spent well over a decade in space, a duration that exceeds the design lifetime typical of many Earth observation platforms and speaks to the engineering standards applied during its construction and the orbital environment it inhabits. Sun-synchronous orbits at altitudes in the 680–700 kilometre range experience relatively low atmospheric drag, contributing to long orbital lifetimes.

The KOMPSAT program did not stop with ARIRANG-3. Subsequent satellites in the series have been developed and launched, extending the continuity of South Korean Earth observation capability and building on the foundations established by the earlier missions. ARIRANG-3 therefore represents not an endpoint but a stepping stone in an ongoing national program.

How to Spot It

ARIRANG-3 is a relatively small Earth observation satellite in a low orbit, and it is not among the brightest objects visible in the night sky. It does not carry large reflective solar panels or structures comparable to those of crewed stations or large communication satellites, which limits its naked-eye visibility under most circumstances. That said, satellites in sun-synchronous orbits at approximately 690 kilometres altitude do pass within the visual range of ground observers during the twilight window—the period shortly after sunset or before sunrise when the satellite is still illuminated by sunlight while the observer on the ground is in darkness.

Using the NORAD ID 38338 or the COSPAR designator 2012-025B, observers can generate accurate pass predictions for their location using the tracking tools available on this site. The satellite moves rapidly across the sky, completing a pass above the horizon in a matter of minutes, and will appear as a steadily moving point of light if conditions and geometry are favorable. Binoculars may improve visibility. As with any satellite observation attempt, dark skies and accurate timing are the most important factors for success.