South Korea will open on Thursday a new unmanned satellite control center set up at a research facility, called the King Sejong Station, at the South Pole.

The Science and Technology Ministry said the Korea Aerospace Research Research Institute (KARI) built the new control center over the past three years for a cost of some 1.2 billion won or some 1.1 million dollars.

The control center will relay commands from KARI to orbiting South Korean satellites, such as the multi-purpose Arirang 1.

The center would allow the government to cut some 100,000 dollars in funds spent annually for making use of foreign satellite control centers, the ministry said.