• US and South Korea launch satellites for surveillance purposes
• North Korea plans additional military reconnaissance satellite deployments
• Satellites play crucial roles in military intelligence and combat

An avalanche of reconnaissance satellites has recently been en route to orbit, partly as a competition between North and South Korea to gain visual access to the sky. What, then, is the purpose of all those satellites in space?

Tuesday marked the second reconnaissance satellite to enter orbit in as many days; the first was launched into orbit by the United States.

Monday marked the second launch of a South Korean spacecraft since the initial launch occurred in December. SpaceX has awarded the nation a contract to launch three additional reconnaissance satellites by 2025.

At the end of March, a North Korean representative stated that the country anticipates launching several additional reconnaissance satellites this year in addition to the one it launched in November.

2024 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un intends to deploy three more military reconnaissance satellites.

What, then, is the purpose of all those satellites in space?

Acquiring military benefits

The National Reconnaissance Office of the United States “secures and expands America’s intelligence advantage by utilising satellites and other space-based capabilities.”

“Some of the earliest satellites were reconnaissance satellites,” said Professor Erik Gartzke, director of the University of California’s Centre for Peace and Security Studies.

“At the height of the Cold War, enforceable arms control agreements were permissible between the United States and the Soviet Union because each side could detect the other’s deception.

This technology made it possible to reach some of the earliest and most effective armaments control agreements in world history.

Skynet is the United Kingdom’s proprietary “beyond line of sight communications” network.

They ensure that the United Kingdom’s armed forces “obtain accurate information promptly,” as stated by Airbus, the network operator.

Additionally, these reconnaissance satellites are utilised to combat crime.

The infamous Colombian drug kingpin Otoniel was apprehended in 2021 through the analysis of satellite imagery by experts from the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries.

North and South Korea have been more forthright regarding the purpose of their satellites.

Divergent Photographs of the Pentagon

State media reports that in November, Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, stated that the nation’s satellites would “manage, control, and deter the perilous and aggressive manoeuvres of hostile forces.”

Upon the successful launch of its inaugural satellite into orbit, North Korea asserted that it was conveying imagery of significant locations in both South Korea and the United States, such as the Pentagon and the White House.

However, the North Korean satellite has yet to disclose any of those photographs, and foreign experts are sceptical of its capability to transmit imagery with military significance.

Whether the nation had control of the satellite until February, when researchers confirmed signals from it, was contested.

Reinforcing the “kill chain”

Before December 2023, South Korea conducted surveillance via the United States on behalf of North Korea due to its lack of indigenous espionage satellites.

Deploying two South Korean satellites into orbit has reportedly enhanced the military’s capabilities.

“Our ‘kill chain’ capability has been further bolstered, and our military has acquired an additional independent surveillance capability,” a Defence ministry spokesperson told the media.

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The term ‘kill chain’ capability denotes the capacity to launch missiles on purpose.

However, according to Professor Gartzke, these satellites may reduce military conflict.

He stated that as more nations acquire or gain access to this capability, defence efficacy will increase, making it more difficult to invade one’s neighbour.

Satellites are revolutionising combat.

Hannibal is frequently regarded as one of the greatest military strategists, partly because he consistently took his adversaries by surprise.

As Russian forces began to consolidate along the Ukrainian border, satellites ensured that the entire world could observe.

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