They Saved 100 Million Won in Satellite Costs for 20 Images, But... What Challenges Remain for Embedding “Space Science Agriculture” in the Field?

With the launch of Korea’s first satellite dedicated exclusively to agriculture and forestry, the curtain has risen on the full-fledged era of “space science agriculture.” Until now, Korean agriculture had been limited to restricted research, relying on foreign satellites or non-specialized satellite imagery used for purposes such as defense, but it is now being assessed as having finally secured “data sovereignty.” The newly launched Agriculture and Forestry Satellite will conduct precise observations of the Korean Peninsula every three days and is expected to generate a flood of data in the fields of agricultural and forest monitoring as well as disaster and calamity response. Through this, the government is squarely targeting the expansion of smart agriculture in open fields and the realization of precision agriculture.

Experts advise that for the Agriculture and Forestry Satellite’s data to be processed into high-value information and linked to agricultural sites, several challenges must be addressed: △large-scale reinforcement of organizations and manpower △organic linkage between micro (robots and drones) and macro (satellite) data △training talent specialized in AI-satellite convergence.

Eyes with 5-meter resolution, from macro supply-demand control to plot-by-plot precision agriculture
The Rural Development Administration, the Korea Forest Service, and the Korea AeroSpace Administration announced that the next-generation mid-sized satellite No. 4 (the Agriculture and Forestry Satellite) successfully made its first communication with the ground station at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon at 10:50 p.m. Korea time on July 7, about 6 hours and 38 minutes after launch. The successful launch of the Agriculture and Forestry Satellite is raising expectations across the agricultural sector.

The Agriculture and Forestry Satellite will continuously observe the entire Korean Peninsula every three days at a resolution of 5 meters, providing data for agricultural and forest monitoring and disaster and calamity response. This has made it possible not only to make national supply-demand control policies more scientific, but also to expand precision agriculture at the farm level.

Professor Jeong Seon-ok of Chungnam National University (president of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery) explained, “Until now, obtaining satellite images from the United States or France required paying enormous costs amounting to 100 million won for 20 images. That made them difficult for the private sector to access. Even government agencies could only use them in limited areas such as defense.” She continued, “The Agriculture and Forestry Satellite is highly significant in that it is Korea’s first satellite for research and public services in the agriculture and forestry sectors, meaning we have taken a truly full-fledged first step,” adding, “By securing sovereignty over dedicated data, active research and applications tailored to Korea’s agricultural environment have become possible.”

Professor Ha Yu-shin of Kyungpook National University also highlighted the satellite’s macro-level utility. Professor Ha explained, “If the satellite circles the globe and enables real-time understanding not only of crop conditions in Korea but also at overseas bases, then proactive and macro-level supply-demand control becomes possible in the import, export, and distribution of agricultural products.” In fact, the field expects satellite data to help partly solve recurring annual problems such as price crashes and disposal at production sites caused by failures to predict supply and demand for major vegetables such as garlic and onions.

Its field usability from a micro perspective is also high. This Agriculture and Forestry Satellite has a 5-meter resolution, making it suitable for the plot-by-plot management level of domestic farms. From the farmers’ perspective, receiving satellite services for identifying abnormal signs that had previously depended on intuition, determining sowing and shipping times, and responding in advance to damage from disasters and calamities such as drought and rainfall can improve productivity.
 

Expand manpower and budgets... establish a “new division within the Ministry of Agriculture and an automated verification system”
However, criticism is emerging that the current infrastructure is far too inadequate to handle the massive volume of data pouring in every three days. There are limits to the manpower and budget of the Agricultural Satellite Center under the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, which currently oversees the collection and processing of satellite data. Experts advise that since the satellite will begin carrying out its mission in earnest from 2027, the remaining time should be used to prepare budgets and institutional frameworks.

Professor Jeong Seon-ok said, “To catch up in a short period with the path of satellite-based precision agriculture that advanced countries have built over decades, we need, simply put, to do ‘extra homework,’” and expressed concern that “without large-scale organizational reinforcement and R&D budget input, this satellite will end up as a one-off event.”

First, an “automated processing process for data on a three-day cycle” must be established. If the speed of processing the data provided by satellite imagery every three days cannot keep up with the satellite’s observation cycle, the data could become useless.

In addition, a “survey and verification team system,” in which analysis results are directly checked with the naked eye in the field, is essential. For the government’s agricultural supply-demand policy to function properly, image analysis and on-site measurement must be linked in real time.

Chair Jeong Seon-ok said, “To carry out the smart and precision agriculture projects pursued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs without disruption, large-scale reinforcement of manpower and expansion of project budgets are the top priority,” and suggested that “it is urgent to link a ground-truth verification system that can judge the authenticity of processed data from the provincial level down to the city and county level, and to build an automated system capable of processing the vast amount of data that cannot be handled manually.” She added that to support this administratively, “a ‘division-level organization’ should be newly established within the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to handle tasks such as cooperation with the Korea AeroSpace Administration and the Korea Forest Service, so that an organic verification system can operate.”

“Micro-macro convergence data” linked with drones and open-field robots is essential
Improving the “fertilizer application recommendation formula,” a core element of field precision agriculture, and diversely linking data are also tasks ahead. The satellite’s 5-meter resolution allows plot-level management, but it has limitations in capturing fine growth variations within a single plot.

Professor Ha Yu-shin emphasized, “If the satellite is responsible for macro-level observation, drones should take on one-step more micro-level observation, and robots in open fields should directly check pests, diseases, or crop maturity,” adding, “Rather than looking at satellite data alone, convergence research that enables precise judgments by linking it with field data acquired by robots and drones must be activated to provide practical help to farms.”

Professor Jeong also explained, “Basal fertilizer determined through soil testing should continue to rely on analysis by agricultural technology centers, but topdressing should move in the direction of combining satellite and drone imagery to measure location-specific variation within plots and recommend fertilizer application precisely,” adding that “basic research must come first to establish nutrient management standards by crop and plot unit.”

An urgent need for a talent development system for “AI + satellite + agriculture” convergence... suggestions also made for a new long-term research project group
The lack of “people” capable of processing advanced data into high-value information is also setting off warning lights for smart agriculture. At present, the domestic pool of related specialists is extremely insufficient, remaining at the level of basic research in graduate school laboratories or center-level units. Critics say the existing education system is trapped in department-level silos and cannot keep up with satellite- and AI-based agriculture, where convergence technology is essential.

Professor Ha Yu-shin said, “For satellite, AI, and robot technologies to be implemented as services from an agricultural perspective, a convergence-type talent development system must be introduced,” adding, “Rather than supporting only graduate programs in a fragmented way as in the past, the Ministry of Agriculture should provide project funding to universities and match programs so that specialized tracks can be designed from the undergraduate level, thereby creating a natural structure for talent inflow.”

To form a practical pool of specialist candidates, Chair Jeong presented a concrete alternative: “The government should establish an organization like an ‘Agriculture and Forestry Satellite Convergence Research Project Group,’ into which it continuously invests at least 2 billion won annually for a minimum of 10 years.” The idea is to build a long-term virtuous-cycle ecosystem centered on a lead university, where professors in fields such as geography, computer engineering, and agricultural machinery participate in the project group to carry out multi-year research tasks, thereby training large numbers of convergence master’s and doctoral personnel and channeling them into employment at the Agricultural Satellite Center or private ag-tech companies.

The need to provide data in connection with city and county agricultural technology centers was also mentioned so that farmers can tangibly feel the role of the Agriculture and Forestry Satellite. Even if the central government or the Rural Development Administration produces advanced data, it could become useless if field farms, where elderly farmers make up the majority, are simply told, “The data is there, so use it as you see fit.”

Chair Jeong Seon-ok said, “For example, if data is provided showing that the nationwide cultivation area for napa cabbage has surged this year, farmers could use it as reference material for farming decisions. The value of the satellite can only be realized when such things are implemented as well.”