Kwangmyŏngsŏng
Encyclopedia
The Kwangmyŏngsŏng programme is a class of experimental satellites developed by North Korea
. The name Kwangmyŏngsŏng (광명성 (光明星 "Bright Star" or "Brilliant Star" in Korean
) is from a Chinese-language
poem by Kim Il-sung
. The first class of satellite built by Korea, the program started in the 1980s. There appear to have been three launch attempts.
decided to launch a Korean satellite. At the beginning of the 1990s, the capacity to achieve this goal was already reached.
The decision to send a North Korean satellite was precipitated by the successful launch of South Korea
's first satellite, Uribyol 1, on August 10, 1992 and its second satellite, Uribyol 2, on September 26, 1993, both by an European Ariane 4
SLV. In a late-1993 meeting of the Korean Workers' Party
Central Committee
, Kim Il-sung expressed his desire to quickly place a satellite into orbit, leading to the expansion of North Korea's nascent space program and the requirement for a space launch vehicle.
The Paektusan-1 SLV is the civilian version of the Taepodong 1 intermediate-range ballistic missile
, with an additional spin-up solid motor orbital insertion third stage. The first and second stages of the SLV are made up of Nitric acid
/UDMH
liquid propellant rocket engines and the third spin-up orbital insertion stage of a solid propellant engine. The first stage consists of a No-Dong 1 MRBM and is propelled by a single YF-2 engine from the Chinese DF-3 missile, that burns for 95 seconds. The second stage is made of a Hwasong-6 SRBM, a derivative of the Scud-C, and burns for 171 seconds in two times. The third stage is derived from the Chinese HQ-2 booster, a spherical solid-propellant motor with a burn time of about 27 seconds. Attached to the third stage is the payload assembly, which has a length of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft).
Only five years later, preparations for the first satellite launch began at the Musudan-ri Launch Facility on August 7, 1998. Two weeks later, Korean People's Navy
vessels proceeded to their mission area into the Sea of Japan
(East Sea of Korea). By that time, South Korea had already placed two other satellites into space with Delta-7925 SLV
s: Koreasat 1 and Koreasat 2, on August 5, 1995, and on January 14, 1996, respectively.
The mission was planned with an initial evening launch window that was favorable for observation. After a weather forecast predicted heavy winds and rain on the evening of the first launch window in question, the decision was then taken to delay the launch until 12:07 when the weather had cleared.
Liftoff occurred on August 31 at 12:07 local time. The first stage was separated from the rocket 95 seconds after the launch. The fairing shroud separated 144 seconds after the launch, then the second stage separated itself from the rocket 266 seconds after the launch. North Korea claimed that the third stage put the satellite into orbit 27 seconds after the separation of the second stage.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command
reported that the satellite failed to reach orbit, and burned up in the atmosphere. The failure is believed to have occurred during the third stage burn.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il revealed that the country had spent 200-300 million dollars for the satellite project during a summit with then-South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung in 2000.
announced on September 1, 1998, Juche
87, that a satellite called Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 had been launched at 3:07 UTC the day before from a launch site in Musudan-ri
, Hwadae
-gun, North Hamgyong Province by a Paektusan-1 satellite launch vehicle (SLV). This launch would have made North Korea the ninth space-faring nation, after the Soviet Union
, the United States
, France
, Japan
, China
, the United Kingdom
, India
and Israel
.
announced that North Korea would launch another satellite in the future. Then South Korea announced in 2002 it was also planning to develop its own satellite launch vehicle KSLV-I by 2007, based on technology flown on the KSR-III test vehicle.
In a very controversial series of missile tests conducted on the occasion of the United States' Independence Day
on July 4, 2006, a Paektusan-2 SLV was launched for the first time according to Jane's Defence Weekly
.
The internet edition of the Choson Sinbo
, published on June 21, 2006, suggested that the payload of the Paektusan-2 SLV civilian version of the Taepodong 2C/3 ICBM could have been made of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2
（光明星二號） communication satellite, with a mass ranging from 170 to 550 kg (374.8 to 1,212.5 lb). Launched from the Musudan-ri
launch center, the rocket failed after only 42 seconds.
On April 29, CNN informed that "North Korea threatened to conduct a nuclear test and more ballistic missile tests if the U.N. Security Council doesn't apologizes to North Korea and withdraw its condemnation of Pyongyang's rocket launch earlier this month, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported."
the North Korean government claimed to have placed into orbit in April 2009. According to the North Korean government, an Unha-2 rocket carrying the satellite was launched on Sunday 5 April 2009 at 11:20 local time
(02:20 UTC) from the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground at Musudan-ri in northeastern North Korea. However, officials in South Korea
and the United States
reported that the rocket and any payload had fallen into the Pacific Ocean
. The Russian Space Control
concurred, stating that the satellite "simply is not there".
Prior to the launch, concern was raised by other nations, particularly the United States, South Korea and Japan
, that the rocket was a Taepodong-2
, and the launch might be a trial run of technology that could be used in the future to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile
. The launch of the rocket was sharply condemned by the United States and the European Union
, while the People's Republic of China
and Russia
urged restraint. On 13 April 2009, the United Nations Security Council
issued a Presidential Statement condemning the launch as a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718
(2006). One day after, on 14 April 2009, North Korea
called the Presidential Statement an infringement on a country's right for space exploration embodied in the Outer Space Treaty
and withdrew from Six Party Talks.
, pledged not only for further satellite launches of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng series, but also for the resumption of its nuclear program, starting with the reactivation of the plutonium
-producing Yongbyon nuclear plant
, shut down only a year earlier.
Furthermore, on September 11, 2008, supporting previous announcements to launch satellites into space, the existence of a totally new launch facility exceeding both in size and sophistication the Musudan-ri test base on North Korea's east coast was revealed. Known as Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center and located in the North Pyongan province at 39.660°N 124.706 °E, it was built on the former site of a small village called Pongdong-ri
. Thus, the first stage of a Paektusan-1 SLV would land in the Sea of Japan at about 39.433290°N 129.472213°E. The old Musudan-ri test center was not designed for winter-time operations, but only for the occasional space satellite launch campaign in the spring, summer or fall seasons, the SLVs being not easily prepared for launch.
The new space center includes a movable launch pad and a ten-storey tall tower capable of supporting the DPRK's largest SLVs, including a rocket motor test pad similar in size and design to the Iranian Shahid Hemmat rocket test facility built east of Tehran
. There are also support buildings, a vertical assembly building, and an engine test stand among other structures. Following the relocation of scores of new aerospace factories far away from the Demilitarized Zone
, it is specially built in the mountainous northwest part of the country, closer to the Chinese allied border, at only 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) of it and therefore benefiting from the Chinese airspace protection, the site is consequently meant to be safer. The site is said to be completed at 80 percent, and will be fully operational within a year or two. Baekdusan-2 SLV engine ignition test have already started.
Meanwhile, South Korea's KARI
and its Ministry of Science & Technology plan to develop a national satellite launch vehicle now based on the Russian Angara space booster, capable of putting a 100 kilograms (220.5 lb) payload into orbit by the end of 2008 and a lower-orbit commercial satellite with 1000 kilograms (2,204.6 lb) by 2010, with further upgrades planned for increasing the payload capability to 1500 kilograms (3,306.9 lb) by 2015. It is about to reach its final phase with a first launch of the new KSLV-1 launch vehicle with a small satellite from the new Naro Space Centre in South Jeolla Province, with completion of the spaceport and launch of a 1500 kilograms (3,306.9 lb) South Korean satellite into sun-synchronous orbit
by 2015.
KARI then announced that the launch scheduled for December 21, 2008 would be pushed back to sometime during the second quarter of 2009, after Russia’s Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, which is providing technology for the project, due to the fact that it failed to deliver the ground test vehicle, a machine for testing the rocket engine and propulsion system, in time. In addition, the development of the South Korean KSLV-2, the first that was to be wholly South Korean-made, has been shelved as import of Russian rocket technologies. Development was expected to begin immediately after the launch of KSLV-1, delaying the government's space ambitions, including the launch of a home-grown lunar probe.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. The name Kwangmyŏngsŏng (광명성 (光明星 "Bright Star" or "Brilliant Star" in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
) is from a Chinese-language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
poem by Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
. The first class of satellite built by Korea, the program started in the 1980s. There appear to have been three launch attempts.
Background
According to North Korea Academy of Science's Academician Kwon Tong-hwa, the SLV was developed in the 1980s when the late leader Kim Il-sungKim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
decided to launch a Korean satellite. At the beginning of the 1990s, the capacity to achieve this goal was already reached.
The decision to send a North Korean satellite was precipitated by the successful launch of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
's first satellite, Uribyol 1, on August 10, 1992 and its second satellite, Uribyol 2, on September 26, 1993, both by an European Ariane 4
Ariane 4
Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. Ariane 4 was justly known as the ‘workhorse’ of the Ariane family. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the last, on 15 February 2003, it...
SLV. In a late-1993 meeting of the Korean Workers' Party
Workers' Party of Korea
The Workers' Party of Korea is the ruling Communist party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , commonly known as North Korea. It is also called the Korean Workers' Party...
Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
, Kim Il-sung expressed his desire to quickly place a satellite into orbit, leading to the expansion of North Korea's nascent space program and the requirement for a space launch vehicle.
The Paektusan-1 SLV is the civilian version of the Taepodong 1 intermediate-range ballistic missile
Intermediate-range ballistic missile
An intermediate-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km , between a medium-range ballistic missile and an intercontinental ballistic missile...
, with an additional spin-up solid motor orbital insertion third stage. The first and second stages of the SLV are made up of Nitric acid
Nitric acid
Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and toxic strong acid.Colorless when pure, older samples tend to acquire a yellow cast due to the accumulation of oxides of nitrogen. If the solution contains more than 86% nitric acid, it is referred to as fuming...
/UDMH
UDMH
Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine is a toxic volatile hygroscopic clear liquid, with a sharp, fishy, ammoniacal smell typical for organic amines. It turns yellowish on exposure to air and absorbs oxygen and carbon dioxide. It mixes completely with water, ethanol, and kerosene. In concentration...
liquid propellant rocket engines and the third spin-up orbital insertion stage of a solid propellant engine. The first stage consists of a No-Dong 1 MRBM and is propelled by a single YF-2 engine from the Chinese DF-3 missile, that burns for 95 seconds. The second stage is made of a Hwasong-6 SRBM, a derivative of the Scud-C, and burns for 171 seconds in two times. The third stage is derived from the Chinese HQ-2 booster, a spherical solid-propellant motor with a burn time of about 27 seconds. Attached to the third stage is the payload assembly, which has a length of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft).
Only five years later, preparations for the first satellite launch began at the Musudan-ri Launch Facility on August 7, 1998. Two weeks later, Korean People's Navy
Korean People's Navy
The Korean People's Army Naval Force is the navy of North Korea. The Korean People's Army is made up of the Ground Force, the North Korean Air Force, and the Navy. It was established on June 5, 1946. The navy strength in the 1990s was about 40,000 to 60,000; current strength is at about 46,000...
vessels proceeded to their mission area into the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
(East Sea of Korea). By that time, South Korea had already placed two other satellites into space with Delta-7925 SLV
Delta II
Delta II was an American space launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Delta II is part of the Delta rocket family and was in service from 1989 until November 1, 2011...
s: Koreasat 1 and Koreasat 2, on August 5, 1995, and on January 14, 1996, respectively.
The mission was planned with an initial evening launch window that was favorable for observation. After a weather forecast predicted heavy winds and rain on the evening of the first launch window in question, the decision was then taken to delay the launch until 12:07 when the weather had cleared.
Liftoff occurred on August 31 at 12:07 local time. The first stage was separated from the rocket 95 seconds after the launch. The fairing shroud separated 144 seconds after the launch, then the second stage separated itself from the rocket 266 seconds after the launch. North Korea claimed that the third stage put the satellite into orbit 27 seconds after the separation of the second stage.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...
reported that the satellite failed to reach orbit, and burned up in the atmosphere. The failure is believed to have occurred during the third stage burn.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il revealed that the country had spent 200-300 million dollars for the satellite project during a summit with then-South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung in 2000.
First orbital launch attempt
The official Korean Central News AgencyKorean Central News Agency
The Korean Central News Agency is the state news agency of North Korea and has existed since December 5, 1946. KCNA is headquartered in the capital city of Pyongyang...
announced on September 1, 1998, Juche
Juche
Juche or Chuch'e is a Korean word usually translated as "self-reliance." In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , "Juche" refers specifically to a political thesis of Kim Il-sung, the Juche Idea, that identifies the Korean masses as the masters of the country's development...
87, that a satellite called Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 had been launched at 3:07 UTC the day before from a launch site in Musudan-ri
Musudan-ri
The Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground, also known as Musudan-ri, is a rocket launching site in North Korea. It lies in southern North Hamgyong province, near the northern tip of the East Korea Bay...
, Hwadae
Hwadae
Hwadae is a county in southern North Hamgyong province, North Korea, with an area of about 460 km² and a population of approximately 70,000. It adjoins the Sea of Japan on the east and south. By land, it adjoins Kimchaek and Kilchu to the west, and Myŏngch'ŏn to the north...
-gun, North Hamgyong Province by a Paektusan-1 satellite launch vehicle (SLV). This launch would have made North Korea the ninth space-faring nation, after the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Second orbital launch attempt
In its December 26, 1998 edition, the Rodong SinmunRodong Sinmun
Rodong Sinmun is a North Korean newspaper and the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, published by the Rodong News Agency. It is the most widely read newspaper in the country...
announced that North Korea would launch another satellite in the future. Then South Korea announced in 2002 it was also planning to develop its own satellite launch vehicle KSLV-I by 2007, based on technology flown on the KSR-III test vehicle.
In a very controversial series of missile tests conducted on the occasion of the United States' Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
on July 4, 2006, a Paektusan-2 SLV was launched for the first time according to Jane's Defence Weekly
Jane's Defence Weekly
Jane's Defence Weekly is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who first published Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships in 1898...
.
The internet edition of the Choson Sinbo
Choson Sinbo
The Choson Sinbo is a newspaper based in Japan, published in both Korean and Japanese. The name literally means 'Chosun Newspaper'. It is published by the General Association of Korean Residents, a pro-North Korea representative body for Zainichi Koreans, who also run The People's Korea , an...
, published on June 21, 2006, suggested that the payload of the Paektusan-2 SLV civilian version of the Taepodong 2C/3 ICBM could have been made of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2
Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2
In this regard, a delegation of fifteen strong Iranian rocket scientists, including senior officials with Iranian rocket and satellite producer Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, has been in the DPRK since the beginning of March, to help prepare for the launch...
（光明星二號） communication satellite, with a mass ranging from 170 to 550 kg (374.8 to 1,212.5 lb). Launched from the Musudan-ri
Musudan-ri
The Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground, also known as Musudan-ri, is a rocket launching site in North Korea. It lies in southern North Hamgyong province, near the northern tip of the East Korea Bay...
launch center, the rocket failed after only 42 seconds.
On April 29, CNN informed that "North Korea threatened to conduct a nuclear test and more ballistic missile tests if the U.N. Security Council doesn't apologizes to North Korea and withdraw its condemnation of Pyongyang's rocket launch earlier this month, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported."
Third orbital launch attempt
Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 was a satelliteSatellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
the North Korean government claimed to have placed into orbit in April 2009. According to the North Korean government, an Unha-2 rocket carrying the satellite was launched on Sunday 5 April 2009 at 11:20 local time
Korea Standard Time
Korea Standard Time is the standard time zone in North and South Korea and is 9 hours ahead of UTC : i.e., when it is midnight UTC, it is 9 am Korea Standard Time. Korea does not currently observe daylight saving time but has experimented with it in the past...
(02:20 UTC) from the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground at Musudan-ri in northeastern North Korea. However, officials in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reported that the rocket and any payload had fallen into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The Russian Space Control
Russian Federal Space Agency
The Russian Federal Space Agency , commonly called Roscosmos and abbreviated as FKA and RKA , is the government agency responsible for the Russian space science program and general aerospace research. It was previously the Russian Aviation and Space Agency .Headquarters of Roscosmos are located...
concurred, stating that the satellite "simply is not there".
Prior to the launch, concern was raised by other nations, particularly the United States, South Korea and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, that the rocket was a Taepodong-2
Taepodong-2
The Taepodong-2 is a designation used to indicate a North Korean two or three-stage ballistic missile design that is the successor to the Taepodong-1.-Details:...
, and the launch might be a trial run of technology that could be used in the future to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
. The launch of the rocket was sharply condemned by the United States and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, while the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
urged restraint. On 13 April 2009, the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
issued a Presidential Statement condemning the launch as a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on October 14, 2006. The resolution, passed under Chapter VII, Article 41, of the UN Charter, imposes a series of economic and commercial sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of...
(2006). One day after, on 14 April 2009, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
called the Presidential Statement an infringement on a country's right for space exploration embodied in the Outer Space Treaty
Outer Space Treaty
The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that forms the basis of international space law...
and withdrew from Six Party Talks.
Tenth anniversary
On occasion of the 10th anniversary official celebrations, Radio Pyongyang broadcasted on August 31, 2008 and received in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, pledged not only for further satellite launches of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng series, but also for the resumption of its nuclear program, starting with the reactivation of the plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
-producing Yongbyon nuclear plant
Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center
The Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center is North Korea's major nuclear facility, operating its first nuclear reactors. It is located in the county of Nyŏngbyŏn in North Pyongan province, about 90 km north of Pyongyang...
, shut down only a year earlier.
Furthermore, on September 11, 2008, supporting previous announcements to launch satellites into space, the existence of a totally new launch facility exceeding both in size and sophistication the Musudan-ri test base on North Korea's east coast was revealed. Known as Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center and located in the North Pyongan province at 39.660°N 124.706 °E, it was built on the former site of a small village called Pongdong-ri
Pongdong-ri
Pongdong-ri is a rocket launching site in North Korea. Pongdong-ri's location was discovered by Janes Intelligence Group, which requested imagery from the satellite company DigitalGlobe. The base is located among hills close to the northern border with China...
. Thus, the first stage of a Paektusan-1 SLV would land in the Sea of Japan at about 39.433290°N 129.472213°E. The old Musudan-ri test center was not designed for winter-time operations, but only for the occasional space satellite launch campaign in the spring, summer or fall seasons, the SLVs being not easily prepared for launch.
The new space center includes a movable launch pad and a ten-storey tall tower capable of supporting the DPRK's largest SLVs, including a rocket motor test pad similar in size and design to the Iranian Shahid Hemmat rocket test facility built east of Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. There are also support buildings, a vertical assembly building, and an engine test stand among other structures. Following the relocation of scores of new aerospace factories far away from the Demilitarized Zone
Demilitarized zone
In military terms, a demilitarized zone is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more military powers , where military activity is not permitted, usually by peace treaty, armistice, or other bilateral or multilateral agreement...
, it is specially built in the mountainous northwest part of the country, closer to the Chinese allied border, at only 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) of it and therefore benefiting from the Chinese airspace protection, the site is consequently meant to be safer. The site is said to be completed at 80 percent, and will be fully operational within a year or two. Baekdusan-2 SLV engine ignition test have already started.
Meanwhile, South Korea's KARI
Kari
Kari or KARI may refer to:* Kari or curry, a pan-Asian variety of spicy food* Kari or Sundaram Karivardhan, a legendary figure of Indian motorsports*Kari , a natural satellite of Saturn*Kari , a technique in shakuhachi music...
and its Ministry of Science & Technology plan to develop a national satellite launch vehicle now based on the Russian Angara space booster, capable of putting a 100 kilograms (220.5 lb) payload into orbit by the end of 2008 and a lower-orbit commercial satellite with 1000 kilograms (2,204.6 lb) by 2010, with further upgrades planned for increasing the payload capability to 1500 kilograms (3,306.9 lb) by 2015. It is about to reach its final phase with a first launch of the new KSLV-1 launch vehicle with a small satellite from the new Naro Space Centre in South Jeolla Province, with completion of the spaceport and launch of a 1500 kilograms (3,306.9 lb) South Korean satellite into sun-synchronous orbit
Sun-synchronous orbit
A Sun-synchronous orbit is a geocentric orbit which combines altitude and inclination in such a way that an object on that orbit ascends or descends over any given point of the Earth's surface at the same local mean solar time. The surface illumination angle will be nearly the same every time...
by 2015.
KARI then announced that the launch scheduled for December 21, 2008 would be pushed back to sometime during the second quarter of 2009, after Russia’s Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, which is providing technology for the project, due to the fact that it failed to deliver the ground test vehicle, a machine for testing the rocket engine and propulsion system, in time. In addition, the development of the South Korean KSLV-2, the first that was to be wholly South Korean-made, has been shelved as import of Russian rocket technologies. Development was expected to begin immediately after the launch of KSLV-1, delaying the government's space ambitions, including the launch of a home-grown lunar probe.
In popular culture
The satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 has since featured prominently in North Korean festivities and celebrations such as the mass games. Commemorative stamps showing the real shape of the satellite still attached to the spin up solid motor orbital insertion third stage and more than two orbits have also been printed on several occasions.See also
- Musudan-riMusudan-riThe Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground, also known as Musudan-ri, is a rocket launching site in North Korea. It lies in southern North Hamgyong province, near the northern tip of the East Korea Bay...
- Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center
- Korean Committee of Space TechnologyKorean Committee of Space TechnologyThe Korean Committee of Space Technology is the state-controlled space agency of North Korea. Very little information on it is publicly available. It is known to be founded sometime in the 1980s, and most likely is connected to the Artillery Guidance Bureau of the Korean People's Army...
- Dong Fang Hong IDong Fang Hong IDong Fang Hong I , also known as China 1, was the People's Republic of China's first space satellite, launched successfully on April 24, 1970 as part of the PRC's Dong Fang Hong space satellite program. At 173 kg , it was heavier than the first satellites of other countries. The satellite carried...
- Iranian Space AgencyIranian Space AgencyThe Iranian Space Agency is Iran's governmental space agency. Iran is an active participant in the Asian space race and became an orbital-launch-capable nation in 2009...
External links
- Encyclopedia Astronautica
- "Kwangmyongsong No. 1" demonstrates might of Korea, Korean Central News AgencyKorean Central News AgencyThe Korean Central News Agency is the state news agency of North Korea and has existed since December 5, 1946. KCNA is headquartered in the capital city of Pyongyang...
, December 9, 1998 - Federation of American Scientists
- Kwangmyŏngsŏng
- http://news.google.de/news?pz=1&ned=de&hl=de&ncl=1298096237&cf=all&scoring=d&start=690
- http://www.welt.de/politik/article3506871/Nordkorea-schiesst-Rakete-am-Weltall-vorbei.html
- http://www.swr.de/nachrichten/-/id=396/nid=396/did=4702244/x5v63w/