South Korea is set to launch a multipurpose satellite using a Russian launch vehicle in 2020, Seoul's aerospace research institute said Tuesday.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute said it inked a deal to load its Korea Multipurpose Satellite 6, known as KOMPSAT-6, on the Angara 1.2 vehicle developed by Russia's International Launch Services.

The satellite, also known as the Arirang 6, will be launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwestern Russia in 2020, the KARI added.

"The ILS Angara 1.2 vehicle was evaluated as the most suitable to launch the Arirang 6 through international bidding after taking consideration of the price and credibility," said a KARI official.

The KOMPSAT-6, developed indigenously by South Korea, is the country's fifth multipurpose satellite with its main mission to detect disasters, the KARI said.

South Korea previously launched its Arirang 5 using Russia's Dnepr, a space launch vehicle converted from a Soviet-era intercontinental ballistic missile in 2013. (Yonhap)