Japanese rocket to carry Arirang 3 satellite into orbit

Oct. 30, DAEJEON (Yonhap) -- South Korea's multipurpose satellite Arirang 3, now
under development, will likely be launched in Japan on a Japanese rocket in 2011,
according to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute on Thursday.
The institute said it has selected Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as the
prefered negotiator for the launch of the satellite following international
bidding.
The Japanese company earned the highest score, beating Eurockot, a German-Russian
joint venture, a KARI official said, adding that If the negotiation with
Mitsubishi is successful, a final contract for the launch will be concluded.
After launching the Arirang 2 multipurpose satellite in July 2006, South Korea is
preparing to launch the Arirang 3 in August 2011. The Arirang 3 will carry a
camera with a resolution of 0.7 meter. The Arirang 2 carried a camera with a
resolution of 1 meter.
South Korea has chiefly relied on Russian rockets to launch its satellites. If
the negotiation with Mitsubishi is successful, it will mark the first time that a
Japanese rocket is used to launch a South Korean satellite.