New Military Satellite System to Stretch from Australia to Siberia

ANASIS, a military satellite telecommunications system, consists of the Mugunghwa No. 5 satellite, terrestrial terminal equipment, satellite control equipment and satellite operation equipment. Currently, the Mugunghwa No. 5 satellite is orbiting 35,786km above the equator at 113 degrees east longitude since being launched in August 2006.

The 264 billion won system went though operational tests in August 2007 to qualify for military service. ANASIS is scheduled to enter operation late this month, according to the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) Tuesday.

When ANASIS becomes fully operational, Korea’s military telecommunications will cover from the Malay Peninsula’s Malacca Strait in Southeast Asia to the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. ANASIS will also cover Northern Australia and Northern Siberia.

When Korean naval vessels and military planes deploy in the Pacific, the Korean military will be able to communicate with them in real time without resorting to using other countries’ satellites.

Existing military telecommunications have been vulnerable to natural disasters such as fire and flood, military attacks, and landscape effects. But the new communication system will enable all types of exchanges, including voice, text and video, increasing military effectiveness on the mountainous Korean Peninsula.

Lee Sang-guk, head of the ADD`s development team, said, “The development of ANASIS will create a comprehensive communication network for Korea’s air, naval and ground forces. Significantly, Korean forces will be able to share combat and command information in an integrated way, increasing the effectiveness of military operations.”

ysh1005@donga.com