Activity At North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launch Facility Increases

Increased activity around the Sohae satellite launch facility in North Korea was noted recently by the United States. The activity hints at possible preparations for a space launch, according to US officials. The discovery was made public as concerns on the use of space technology in enhancing the missile capability of North Korea increased.

The report comes as the members of the UN Security Council are discussing new sanctions against Pyongyang following the fourth nuclear test on January 6. Intelligence hinting at movements of propellant and components at a missile site in North Korea were cited by officials. The officials added that the test may be conducted within a few weeks.

One official said their main concern is that it is the same technology used in the development of inter-continental ballistic missiles or ICBMs.

Another official said they are monitoring all the activities of the North Koreans at the Sohae satellite launch facility. AllSource Analysis chief analytics officer Joe Bermudez said increased activity at the North Korean site was shown through open source imagery.

Preparations for testing a rocket engine were hinted with the construction, vehicle movement and other activities at the site. While the launch pad also showed some activities, it remains uncertain if the rocket is already at the site. New buildings were constructed by North Korea to conceal activities at the site as well as block the view of satellites on the gantry tower located beside the launch pad. AllSource chief executive officer Stephen Wood said this is the first time preparations for a launch was made with all concealment shelters already in place.

The cover close to the gantry tower may conceal a rocket while a rail-mounted shelter was moved close to the a test stand at the Sohae satellite launch facility, based on an analysis made by 38 North, a monitoring project based at the School of Advanced International Studies of the John Hopkins University.

Activity At North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launch Facility Increases - image credit: telegraph.co.uk

The shelter may facilitate the assembly of the rocket stages before they are moved into the tower at night or when there is heavy cloud cover. The shelter is big enough to hide the initial stage of the Musudan ICBM, a new rocket engine or the Unha space-launch vehicle.

Commercial satellite images give indications of low-level activities at the Sohae satellite launch facility, according to the analysis. A long-range rocket launch was conducted by North Koreas in 2012, which sent an object into orbit. The object was supposedly a communications satellite.

No statements were released by Kim Min-seok, spokesman for the Defense Ministry of South Korea, on the possible launch preparations of North Korea at the Sohae satellite launch facility. He said no warnings were made by the North on potential navigational interference, which it made prior to previous launches.

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned against the declared intention of Kim Jong Un of developing an ICBM with the ability to carry a nuclear payload. Kerry said this type of threat is taken seriously by the United States. He added that the US will do everything necessary to protect its people, friends and allies.

A ground-based interceptor test was carried out by the US Missile Defense Agency at the Vandenberg Air Force Base on Thursday, according to a source with some knowledge about the test. The test is designed to enhance the reliability of interceptors based in California and Alaska to meet the objectives of the agency.

Fourteen interceptors will be added by the US military to the thirty existing interceptors. The increase in the number of interceptors was encouraged by defense advocates. In the meantime legislation increasing existing sanctions against North Korea was approved by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee amid the increasing activities at the Sohae satellite launch facility.

Posted by James Fried on Friday January 29 2016, 8:48 AM EDT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0