South Korea managed to launch a precision navigation satellite on Thursday to improve the accuracy and reliability of global positioning system (GPS) signals and better ensure flight safety.
Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement that the satellite for the Korea Augmentation Satellite System (KASS) is the country's first precision GPS location augmentation system, from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou in French Guiana, according to the South Korean news agency.
The satellite successfully separated from the rocket at around 7:18 a.m. after the fairing and first stage rocket separations.
The ministry added that the system can improve the GPS position error to 1.0 to 1.6 meters from the current 15-33 meter level in real-time to ensure information reliability throughout the country.
The government plans to start a pilot service around December before its full-fledged operation next year, according to the ministry.
South Korea is the seventh country to have a geosynchronous satellite system officially registered with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), after the United States, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, and China.
According to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, the Asian country has been developing KASS since 2014 to meet international standards and suit the country's topography and environment,
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