CURRENT STATUS OF COMS PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

COMS satellite is a multipurpose satellite in the geostationary orbit, which accommodates multiple payloads of Meteorological Imager, Geostationary Ocean Color Imager and Ka band Satellite Communication Payload in a single spacecraft platform. In this paper, current status of Korea's first geostationary Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellte(COMS) program development is introduced. The satellite platform is based on the Astrium EUROSTAR 3000 communication satellite, but creatively combined with MARS Express satellite platform to accommodate three different payloads efficiently for COMS. The system design difficulties are in the different kinds of payload mission requirements of communication and remote sensing purposes and how to combine them into a single satellite to meet the overall satellite requirements. The COMS satellite critical design has been accomplished successfully to meet three different mission payloads. The platform is in Korea, KARI facility for the system integration and test. The expected launch target of COMS satellite is scheduled in June 2009.