The adventures of North Korea on spy satellites
North Korea has announced that it attempted to launch a "military reconnaissance satellite" but which ended up in the sea. But Pyongyang specifies that the satellite launch attempt could be "the first of many"
North Korea has failed to launch its first spy satellite into orbit… yet.
Pyongyang has announced that it attempted to launch a "military reconnaissance satellite" but which then ended up in the sea, after triggering a missile warning in Japan and an evacuation order in Seoul.
"The new Cheollima-1 satellite carrier rocket has crashed in the West Sea," the Korean name for the Yellow Sea, state news agency KCNA explained, adding that Pyongyang planned to carry out a second launch as soon as possible. .
As Reuters notes, the country considers its military space and missile programs a sovereign right, and analysts say spy satellites are key to improving the effectiveness of its weapons. So the attempted launch of s spy satellite could be "the first of many" according to Atsuhito Isozaki, a professor of North Korean studies at Keio University in Japan.
Today was Pyongyang's sixth attempt to launch a satellite and the first since 2016. "The failed attempt is a setback to attempts by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to increase its capabilities military amid growing tensions with the United States and South Korea,” comments the Guardian .
All the details.
THE LAUNCH OF THE SPY SATELLITE FOR NORTH KOREA FAILED
The first launch of a North Korean spy satellite ended in failure after its second stage malfunctioned.
North Korean state media explained this failure as "a loss of thrust due to the abnormal start of the second stage engine after separation from the first stage during normal flight." The satellite "quickly disappeared from radar before reaching the expected point of fall", according to the South Korean military quoted by the Yonhap agency.
PYONGYANG'S SPACE OBJECTIVES
Since 1998, North Korea has launched five satellites, two of which appeared to have entered orbit, including in its last attempt in 2016. But since 2016, North Korea has developed and launched three types of ICBMs and now it appears sincerely committed to placing working satellites in space.
According to reports from the National Aerospace Development Administration – North Korea's space agency – the placing of the satellite into Earth orbit was entrusted to a new experimental carrier rocket, the "Cheollima-1", almost certainly based on the same technology as the intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) tested by Pyongyang in recent months. In the note, the North Korean authorities say they are already committed to making "technical and scientific corrective measures" in order to carry out a new launch "as soon as possible".
THE OPINION OF THE ANALYST
"North Korea has traditionally lacked robust strategic situational awareness capabilities, which contribute to its chronic sense of insecurity," Ankit Panda of the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told Reuters . North Korea could use such satellites to more effectively strike South Korea and Japan or conduct damage assessments, he said. On the other hand, if North Korea can verify, with its satellites, that the United States and its allies are not going to attack, it could prove stabilizing, Panda added.
Takeshi Watanabe, a senior fellow at the National Institute for Defense Studies, pointed out that in recent years, North Korea appears to have focused on technological needs rather than prioritizing political messages. In the past it has done the opposite, such as launching on specific days regardless of the conditions.
“North Korea cannot maintain the credibility of its capabilities against Japan, the United States and South Korea unless it successfully launches a satellite, so it cannot ignore its scientists,” Watanabe stressed.
"North Korea's space efforts have consistently failed, indicating that while its military ballistics capabilities are under development, its space launch capabilities are not progressing at the same pace of development," Malcolm Davis, an analyst at CNN , told CNN. senior at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
THE CONDEMNATION OF THE UNITED STATES, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA
Finally, the international reaction was immediate. The United States "strongly condemned" Wednesday's launch, which it said "involved technologies directly related" to North Korea's missile program. The launch "risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond," National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said.
In a phone call, officials from the United States, Japan and South Korea "strongly condemned" the launch, Japan's foreign ministry said. “The three countries will remain vigilant with a high sense of urgency,” the statement said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also criticized Pyongyang, claiming its use of ballistic missile technology was "contrary" to UN Security Council resolutions.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/le-peripezie-della-corea-del-nord-sui-satelliti-spia/ on Thu, 01 Jun 2023 05:00:06 +0000.