Multi-purpose Practical Satellite (Arirang) No.6 is the successor to Multi-purpose Practical Satellite (Arirang) No.5, and is equipped with a sub-meter-class synthetic aperture radar (SAR) allowing all-weather land and ocean observation over the Korean Peninsula. Capable of observing the Earth regardless of weather conditions or time of day, it aims to secure next-generation high-resolution radar imaging technologies.
The system design, satellite bus development, integration, and testing, as well as the ground segment, are being developed domestically. The SAR payload is being developed under domestic leadership based on design technologies acquired through the construction of Multi-purpose Practical Satellite (Arirang) No.5, with international partners providing technical consultation and select core components.
Multi-purpose Practical Satellite (Arirang) No.6 is a radar imaging satellite that uses microwaves to synthesize images from signals reflected from ground targets. Antenna technology, a core component of SAR development, is highly advanced and possessed by only a handful of countries, including the U.S., Germany, Italy, Israel, Russia, Japan, and China.
Compared to its predecessors, Multi-purpose Practical Satellite (Arirang) No.6 represents a significant technological and performance advancement. It incorporates state-of-the-art payload design, achieves sub-meter SAR resolution, supports dual-polarization simultaneous observation, enhances geo-location accuracy, enables the detection of moving ground targets, improves radiometric precision, and supports high-precision interferometric missions. The satellite features a highly stable payload-bus integrated structure using carbon composites, an independently developed 1N thruster, high-power electrical components, a SAR image processor for ground image processing, and a flight dynamics system for precise orbit maintenance.