GEO-Kompsat 2B (GK 2B, Cheollian 2B)

Launch data:

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• GEO-KOMPSAT-2B is a geostationary satellite built and owned by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). The 7,449-pound (3,379-kilogram) spacecraft carries instruments to monitor the environment and oceans across the Asia-Pacific region. GEO-KOMPSAT-2B features two sensors: An ocean color imager made by Airbus in Europe and a spectrometer from Ball Aerospace in Colorado. The satellite platform itself was manufactured in South Korea. The GEO-Kompsat 2B satellite is designed to operate at least 10 years, collecting information on marine environments around the Korean Peninsula, fishery ecosystems, aerosol transport in the atmosphere, and air quality over Korea.

Mission details:

• On Feb 18, 2020 at 2218 UTC Ariane vehicle L5111, flight VA252, took off from Kourou and headed to a 6 degree inclination geotransfer orbit. This was the third launch of the new Ariane 5ECA+ variant with an ESC-D upper stage, stretched by 4 cm relative to the older ESC-A allowing it to carry 360 kg of additional propellant. The earlier 5ECA+ flights were VA249 and VA251.
• The lower payload was GEO-Kompsat 2B, for South Korea′s aerospace institute KARI. GEO-Kompsat 2B is a weather/remote sensing satellite, with a launch mass of 3379 kg, carries the GOCI-II ocean color imager and the GEMS spectrometer. GEMS, built by Ball Aerospace, is a visible/UV spectrometer which gives hourly time resolution measurements of ozone and pollutants in the Asia-Pacific region.

External links:

• Satellite tracking (n2ya.com): Real time satellite tracking