South Korea will launch a home-grown satellite next year to measure changes in space weather. 

The Ministry of Science and ICT revealed on Wednesday that a nanosatellite system called SNIPE, or “Small scale magNetospheric and Ionospheric Plasma Experiment,” is under construction. 

The ministry said the satellite system, which consists of four sub-satellites each weighing less than 10 kilograms, will lift off on a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket in June 2021. 

The four satellites will carry state-of-the-art weather detection systems, such as high-energy particle detectors and ionospheric plasma sensors, and will remain in orbit in formation. Over the course of its one-year mission, SNIPE will observe solar wind that can cause radio interference and satellite malfunctions. Cosmic radiation and magnetic storms will also be monitored. 

The satellite’s development process, which began in 2017, involves the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Korea Aerospace Research Institute and six local startups.