Current Status of Satellite Development and Application

From 1945, when World War II ended, the Cold War began, marked by endless conflict, confrontation, and competition between the capitalist bloc, led by the United States, and the communist bloc, led by the Soviet Union.The Cold War lasted until 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed.During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in numerous areas to demonstrate the superiority of their respective systems.Space development is used as a promotional tool to demonstrate scientific and technological capabilities.After World War II, the Soviet Union used thousands of German engineers to accelerate its space program, beginning in the 1950s, and successfully launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, in October 1957.Following the launch of Sputnik 1, competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in satellite development intensified, with both nations launching various reconnaissance satellites through the CORONA and KOSMOS programs.In July 1958, the United States established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the national agency in charge of space development to gain an advantage in the space race with the Soviet Union.In the 1970s, as Cold War tensions eased, financial strain from the space race mounted, and the Soviet Union's space development diminished from the mid-1970s.By contrast, the United States continued to invest heavily in artificial satellites and spacecraft for earth science and space exploration.Initially developed for military purposes, space technology was used for satellite development for various purposes, such as earth science, broadcasting, and communication, and many countries have begun to pursue satellite development.As a result, there are numerous Earth Observation (EO) satellites around the world, and these satellites are used for various purposes such as surveillance and reconnaissance, climate change, disaster, and crop monitoring.Although Korea's history of space development is shorter than that of other advanced countries overseas, it has invested heavily in research and development through a comprehensive space