Images of Earth

[Anchor Lead]

Images of Earth taken by the Cheollian Satellite 2A, which was launched into space last December, have been disclosed for the first time. Starting this summer, images sent by the satellite will be used in weather forecasts.

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This is the first image taken by the Cheollian Satellite 2A about 36,000 kilometers from Earth. Unlike the black-and-white images of the Cheollian Satellite 1, this image shows white clouds, the red parts of land and the blue ocean. An enlarged version of the image even shows fibrous clouds brought by the cold northwestern winds. Developed using domestic technologies only, the Cheollian Satellite 2A has a resolution that is four times higher than that of the Cheollian Satellite 1. The satellite sends data about Earth every ten minutes and that of the Korean Peninsula every two minutes. This will allow meteorologists to monitor climate anomalies such as typhoons and torrential rains in real time.

[Soundbite] Choi Jae-dong(Korea Aerospace Research Institute) : "The new satellite provides more accurate, colorful images. Its speed is also significantly higher, which will probably enable it to observe typhoon paths in a more accurate way."

The new satellite will also be used to detect and analyze clouds, wildfires, smoke and volcanic ash. With the successful transmission of images from the Cheollian Satellite 2A, data sent by the satellite will likely be used in weather forecasts in earnest starting in July this year after final preparations. Meanwhile, the assembling process of a twin-satellite, the Cheollian 2B, is almost complete. The Cheollian 2B will be the first Korean satellite to have a device for monitoring air pollution. Its launch is slated for the end of this year.