CAS500

CAS500-1

Mission type	Earth observation
COSPAR ID	2021-022A
SATCAT no.	47932
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	500 kg (1,100 lb)
Dimensions	1.9 m x 1.9 m x 2.9 m
Start of mission
Launch date	22 March 2021, 06:07:12 UTC
Rocket	Soyuz-2.1a / Fregat
Launch site	Baikonur Site 31/6
Contractor	Glavkosmos
Orbital parameters
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	97.7 degrees
Period	15 orbits/day

CAS500-2

Mission type	Earth observation
COSPAR ID	TBA
SATCAT no.	TBA
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	500 kg (1,100 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	2025 (planned) [1]
Rocket	Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site	TBA
Contractor	SpaceX
Orbital parameters
Regime	Low Earth orbit

CAS500-3

Mission type	Earth observation
COSPAR ID	2025-274
SATCAT no.	47932
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	500 kg (1,100 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	26 November 2025
Rocket	Nuri (KSLV-II)
Launch site	Naro LP-2
Contractor	KARI
Orbital parameters
Regime	Low Earth orbit

CAS500 (Compact Advanced Satellite 500) is a series of Earth observation satellites developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). ^{[2] [3]}

Satellites

CAS500-1, (Korean : 국토위성 1호, transl. "Land Satellite No. 1"), is a prototype 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) class Earth observation satellite that was launched by South Korea at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 22 March 2021. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} It is in a 500-kilometre (310 mi) Sun-synchronous orbit, inclined by 97.7 degrees or 15 orbits/day.

CAS500-2 was expected to launch in 2022 also on a Russian rocket, but the launch was cancelled after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ^{[8] [9] [2] [10]} The satellite was later rescheduled to launch together with CAS500-4 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

CAS500-3 was launched on 26 November 2026 on the South Korean launch vehicle Nuri. ^{[14] [15]}

References

1. "SpaceX's Falcon 9 to send two KAI satellites into space". Korea JoongAng Daily . Korea JoongAng Daily Co., Ltd. 1 December 2023.
2. "CAS500 1, 2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
3. "CAS500 (Compact Advanced Satellite 500) - eoPortal". www.eoportal.org. Archived from the original on 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
4. "Compact Advanced Satellite 500" . Retrieved 22 March 2021.
5. "With CAS500, South Korea launches journey toward private-led satellite development". SpaceNews. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
6. Park, Si-soo. "With CAS500, South Korea launches journey toward private-led satellite development".
7. "Soyuz launches commercial satellite cluster". www.russianspaceweb.com. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
8. "Canceled Russian Rocket Launches for Korean Satellites Spark Controversy, with Critics Warning of 'Disadvantage' in Contract Disclosure". m.dongascience.com. 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
9. Si-soo, Park (2022-03-02). "Russian sanctions throw South Korean satellite missions into uncertainty". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
10. "Launch of Space Weather Satellite 'Doyosat' Unlikely This Year; Arirang 6, CAS500-2 Also Face 'Uncertain' Future". m.dongascience.com. 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
11. "SpaceX's Falcon 9 to send two KAI satellites into space". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
12. "CAS500-2 & CAS500-4 4 - Space launch mission information". www.spacerealm.live. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
13. Jones, Caleb. "Falcon 9 Block 5 | CAS500-2 & CAS500-4". Space Launch Now. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
14. published, Mike Wall (2025-11-26). "South Korea launches Earth-observation satellite on homegrown Nuri rocket". Space. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
15. "CAS500 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2025-11-27.