North Korean Satellite To Be Launched Within The Month

A North Korean satellite is expected to be launched before the end of the month, the reclusive nation informed UN agencies recently. The launch is expected to give the development of long-range missile technology of North Korea a jump-start. A fourth nuclear test was conducted by North Korea on January 6 amid UN sanctions. The last time Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket was in December 2012. The launch supposedly sent a communications satellite into orbit, according to North Korea.

The launch was considered by Asian and Western experts as part of the plan of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile. UN sanctions were imposed on North Korea for its missile and nuclear programs. The latest nuclear test resulted to calls for new sanction from South Korea and the United States.

An International Maritime Organization spokeswoman said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea provided them information that they will launch an earth observation satellite between February 8 and February 25. The North Korean satellite is called the 'Kwangmyongsong.'

North Korean Satellite To Be Launched Within The Month - image credit: smh.com.au

US officials revealed last week that preparations were being made in North Korea for testing a long-range rocket after a satellite monitored increased activity at the test site of the isolated country. While Pyongyang continues to reiterate its sovereign right of pursuing a space program by launching rockers, the United States along with other countries are concerned that these launches are used as to cover missile tests. Even as North Korea has two ballistic missiles that may have the capability of reaching the US West Coast, it remains uncertain whether these missile were already tested.

North Korea is also working on miniaturizing nuclear warheads to make them fit into a missile. However, experts said it may take some time before the technology is perfected. Another UN agency, the International Telecommunications Union, was also informed about the plans of launching a North Korean satellite. The satellite will be launched onto a non-geostationary orbit with a four-year functional duration. However, the North Korea did not provide all the information about the launch.

On January 6, North Korea detonated a nuclear device, which it described as a hydrogen bomb. However, South Korean and U.S. officials along with nuclear experts were skeptical of the claim due to the magnitude of the blast, which falls short of a successful hydrogen bomb detonation.

An envoy from China for the nuclear issue in North Korea arrived in Pyongyang on the same day UN agencies of the upcoming launch of a North Korean satellite.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday February 03 2016, 9:43 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0