KARI - Korea Aerospace Research institute

The Naro Space Center operates the Jeju Tracking Station in Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do for the stable tracking of space launch vehicles (and acquisition of flight status information). With total floor area of 2,031 m2, the Jeju Tracking Station has one tracking radar device and two telemetry devices equipped with large antennas for continuous tracking and information reception of space launch vehicles launched from the Naro Space Center. The tracking radar and telemetry systems acquire operational status data on the location, direction, and speed of the space launch vehicle in real time until the satellite gets separated and enters the orbit and transmit them to the launch control system.

A space launch vehicle launched from the Naro Space Center is tracked in three phases. After the launch, the first phase tracks the launch vehicle up to Namhae, which is about 60 km from the launch pad, and collects data using the tracking radar, optical tracking system, and small telemetry system at the Naro Space Center. Afterward, when a line of sight is secured at the Jeju Tracking Station, its tracking radar and telemetry system begin tracking the launch vehicle flying over the air near Okinawa, Japan, toward Southeastern Philippines.

Although the tracking radar has reliable communication distance of up to about 3,000 km, a low-orbit satellite can be tracked for up to 1,700 to 1,800 km when considering the orbit altitude and Earth’s radius. After that, the overseas tracking station in Palau is responsible for tracking the satellite to the 3,000 km point where the satellite is separated from the launch vehicle.