Hancom InSpace gains hyperspectral sensor

DENVER – South Korea’s Hancom InSpace is expanding its Earth-observation constellation with Sejong-3, a cubesat with a hyperspectral sensor, launched in March on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare and currently undergoing commissioning.

“Sejong-3 is an important addition to our Sejong constellation because it brings hyperspectral capability alongside the multispectral imaging already provided by Sejong-2 and Sejong-4,” Seeung-chan “Wesley” Heo, Hancom InSpace overseas business manager, told SpaceNews. “This supports a broader range of Earth observation applications such as vegetation monitoring, mineral monitoring, soil observations, and environmental analysis.”

Hancom InSpace, a spinoff of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute was acquired in 2020 by South Korean technology conglomerate Hancom Group to fuse space and airborne data for decision-support services.

For Sejong-1, launched in 2022, and Sejong-2, launched in June 2025, Hancom InSpace multispectral instruments were mounted on Spire Global cubesats. South Korea’s Nuri Korean Space Launch Vehicle sent another Hancom InSpace electro-optical satellite, Sejong-4, into low-Earth orbit in November. Spire also provided the satellite, launch and operations for Sejong-3.

Hancom InSpace is “in the early stage of development” of Sejong-5, a satellite currently being developed that may be equipped with a chip-scale atomic clock.

Hancom InSpace plans “to continue expanding the Sejong series in order to provide Earth observation data more frequently and precisely, strengthening our overall service capabilities, Heo said.