The government is set to hold consultations with France to jointly build a communications satellite capable of both maritime and meteorological observation.

The Ministry of Science and Technology announced that key technicians of the two countries will convene in the French city of Toulouse Wednesday to pledge cooperation over the next four years toward the design, assembly and testing of the satellite.

The communications satellite is expected to provide an opportunity to upgrade the technology of satellites operating in geostationary orbit.

According to the ministry, the satellite would be the first of its kind to be developed.

The satellite's envisaged launch in 2008 will enable South Korea to collect meteorological observation data on its own. Currently, the nation is heavily dependent on the United States and Japan for gathering such data.