North Korea announced on Tuesday that their recent endeavor to launch a new rocket with a reconnaissance satellite ended in failure. The missile suffered a midair explosion during the flight of its first-stage rocket.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, the Malligyong-1-1 satellite-carrying rocket exploded after it took off from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on Monday. The vice general director of the North’s National Aerospace Technology Administration confirmed the incident.
The trilateral summit held in Seoul, involving South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, saw a significant development shortly after its conclusion. A launch, with a focus on promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula, took place mere hours after the summit.
Despite international warnings and criticism, North Korea proceeded with the launch, ignoring the fact that any use of ballistic missile technology, even for a space launch vehicle, goes against U.N. Security Council resolutions.
According to the NATA official, the new-type satellite carrier rocket’s first-stage flight was unsuccessful due to the air blast.
Experts from the North’s launch preparatory committee have conducted a preliminary examination, which has concluded that the reason behind the “accident” is the operational reliability of a new engine that uses a combination of liquid oxygen and petroleum.
According to the KCNA, they will also examine the other causes of the failure.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the North’s rocket was described as “multiple pieces of debris” shortly after the launch, suggesting that the satellite launch did not go as planned.
On Monday, at approximately 10:44 p.m., the JCS detected the launch of a rocket heading southward over the Yellow Sea from the Tongchang-ri area in the northwest of the country.
According to the KCNA, the deputy chief of the aerospace administration stated that a preliminary assessment by onsite experts from the North’s launch preparation team indicates that the “accident” can be attributed to the operational credibility of a “liquid oxygen plus petroleum” engine.
According to the report by KCNA, they will also investigate other potential factors that could be responsible for the failure.
Shortly after the launch, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff revealed that the North’s rocket had encountered a setback, resulting in the satellite launch plan going awry. The rocket was observed to have disintegrated into several fragments, indicating a failed mission.
At approximately 10:44 p.m. on Monday, the JCS identified a rocket launch taking place in the Tongchang-ri area of the country’s northwest, heading southward over the Yellow Sea.
Pyongyang had informed Japan beforehand about its intention to launch a satellite by June 4. As a safety measure, three designated areas were established for the potential debris to fall. The rocket was launched on the very first day of the eight-day launch window.
The defiant government has set its sights on launching three satellites into orbit this year. In November, it achieved a major milestone by successfully deploying its inaugural military spy satellite into space.
According to President Yoon’s office, President Yoon was briefed on the launch by the presidential National Security Office. Senior presidential security officials, led by National Security Advisor Chang Ho-jin, held a meeting to discuss the matter.
According to the office, the launch was condemned by the participants at the meeting as a violation of UNSC resolutions and a provocative act that threatens peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia, and in the international community.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command strongly condemned the rocket launch by North Korea, and is currently evaluating the situation in close collaboration with its allies and partners.
The command stated that they are aware of the DPRK’s launch on May 27 using ballistic missile technology. They described it as a brazen violation of multiple unanimous UNSC resolutions, stating that it increases tensions and poses a risk of destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond.
The acronym DPRK represents the official name of North Korea, which is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
On Monday, the military in the South issued a warning, stating that it would respond with “powerful” measures to the North’s launch plan. In a display of strength, air drills were conducted near the inter-Korean border, involving advanced fighter jets.
Despite speculation that North Korea’s deepening military cooperation with Russia could have aided in the advancement of their space rocket launch capabilities and other military programs, the rocket launch proceeded as planned.
According to experts, North Korea seems determined to obtain intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets. Despite its efforts to develop powerful weapons systems like submarine-launched ballistic missiles and tactical nuclear arms, the country lags behind its allies in terms of ISR capabilities.
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