South Korea has lost communication with its first multipurpose satellite launched in 1999, a state agency said Saturday.
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) confirmed its surface uplink with the Arirang 1 satellite was lost on December 30.
"Our efforts to restore communication with the Arirang 1 satellite have been unsuccessful," an institute official said.
Arirang 1 was launched on December 21, 1999 to take high-resolution photos of the Earth's surface.
Yonhap news agency quoted a KARI expert as saying initial reviews pointed towards a possible machinery malfunction or a misalignment that may have affected power generation.
"If the satellite loses proper alignment, its solar panels cannot generate power that is vital for the machine," the expert said.
South Korea, a relatively slow starter in the space programme, has launched three commercial communications satellites since 1995. It launched its first military communications satellite in 2006.
