Seoul: North Korea appears to be preparing to launch a reconnaissance satellite for the third time this year, a move that could be as contentious as the nuclear-armed country’s weapons tests. Earlier attempts on May 31 – North Korea’s first such launch since 2016 – and August 24 ended in fiery failures when the country’s new Chollima-1 rockets crashed into the sea.
North Korea has launched six satellites since 1998, two of which appear to have successfully reached orbit, the most recent of which was in 2016. North Korea has also informed Japan that it intends to launch a satellite between Wednesday and December 1, prompting criticism from Japan and South Korea that it would violate a United Nations ban on Pyongyang’s missile development.
International observers reported that the satellite appeared to be under control, but there is still disagreement about whether it had sent any transmissions. According to experts, North Korea used a three-stage rocket booster similar to the Unha-3 used in previous launches, but a new launch pad was clearly built for a larger rocket. Following the launch, a senior official from North Korea’s space agency stated that the country intended to place more advanced satellites into orbit and eventually “plant the flag of North Korea on the moon.”
Source: The Hindu
Leader Kim, revealed a wish list of military reconnaissance satellites during a party assembly in January 2021. Analysts believe the Chollima-1 is a new design that employs the dual-nozzle liquid-fuelled engines developed for Pyongyang’s Hwasong-15 ICBM.
South Korea has recovered some of the Chollima-1 wreckage, including satellite parts for the first time, but has not released detailed findings. According to Seoul, the satellite has tiny military value. Kim visited Russia’s most modern space launch facility in September, where President Vladimir Putin promised to assist Pyongyang in building satellites.
According to South Korean officials, the upcoming launch may include unspecified technical assistance from Russia. The United States and its allies condemned North Korea’s latest satellite system tests as flagrant violations of UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting the development of technology relevant to North Korea’s ballistic missile programmes.
North Korea claims sovereignty over its space programme and defence activities. North Korea had yet to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at the time of the 2016 space launch. The launch of the satellite was condemned by governments in the United States and South Korea as a covert test of missile technology capable of hitting the continental United States.
North Korea has developed and launched three types of ICBMs since 2016, and it now appears to be committed to placing operational satellites in space. Analysts believe this would not only provide it with better intelligence on its adversaries, but would also demonstrate its ability to compete with other growing space powers in the region.
North Korea could use such satellites to more effectively target South Korea and Japan, or to conduct damage assessments during a war, according to Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in the United States. On the other hand, if North Korea can confirm, using its own satellites, that the US and its allies are not about to launch an attack, he believes it will reduce tensions and provide stability.
Source: ABC News
In the previous launches, a North Korean rocket carrying the satellite crashed into the ocean shortly after lift-off during the first launch attempt. According to North Korean authorities, the rocket lost thrust after its first and second stages separated. Following the second launch failure, North Korea claimed that an error in the emergency blasting system occurred during the third stage flight.
South Korea recovered debris from the first launch and stated that the satellite was insufficiently advanced to perform military reconnaissance. However, some civilian experts believe the North Korean satellite is still capable of detecting large targets such as warships and could be useful militarily for the North.
North Korea is subject to a slew of punitive United Nations sanctions for previous weapons tests and rocket launches. However, the North’s recent testing activities and two spy satellite launches did not result in new sanctions because Russia and China blocked US and other attempts to tighten sanctions.
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its battle group arrived in a South Korean port on Tuesday in a show of readiness against North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats, according to South Korea’s navy. Earlier this year, the United States flew nuclear-capable bombers over South Korea and also deployed a nuclear-armed submarine.
