SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said Friday that North Korea may have delayed its plan to make a third attempt to launch a spy satellite to fix technological glitches in the third-stage system with Russian assistance.
North Korea made two botched attempts to put a reconnaissance satellite into orbit in May and August and vowed to try again in October, but it failed to meet its self-imposed deadline.
The first attempt failed due to problems in the booster, while Pyongyang's state media blamed the second flight's failure on a flawed third-stage emergency blasting system.
Shin weighed the possibility of Pyongyang's making a third attempt in late November to reflect technological guidance from Russia following the rare summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September.
"North Korea could try again on its own even if it fails, but the launch may have been delayed as Russia provided specific technical guidance (for the satellite). We place more emphasis on the latter," Shin said during his first meeting with reporters since taking office last month.
"There is a possibility of (North Korea's satellite launch) in around late November. We will continue to monitor the situation," he added.
In response to Pyongyang's efforts to put its first spy satellite into space, Shin vowed to boost the South Korean military's surveillance capability to fend off North Korea's advancing missile and nuclear threat.
He disclosed the South Korean military's plan to launch its first indigenous reconnaissance satellite on Falcon 9, U.S. aerospace company SpaceX's two-stage rocket, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Nov. 30, as well as a plan to launch a homegrown solid propellant rocket later this year.
South Korea has condemned Pyongyang's satellite launch as a provocation and violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning its use of ballistic missile technology.
Japan on guard for possible North Korean military satellite launch
9 hours ago
Japan's Defense Minister Kihara Minoru has indicated that the government will gather intelligence and stay on alert to prepare for a possible launch of a North Korean military spy satellite.
Kihara told reporters on Monday that North Korea expressed its intention to launch a satellite for the third time, following two failed attempts in May and August.
He said there is a possibility that Pyongyang will go ahead with the launch.
He also said the Defense Ministry has kept intact an order issued in May for the Self-Defense Forces to destroy any incoming missiles or other projectiles that could fall within Japanese territory.
Kihara added that SDF vessels equipped with Aegis radar systems and the land-based PAC-3 interceptor systems have been ready in case that happens.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said in an interview with public broadcaster KBS on Sunday that the launch could occur within a week or before November 30 at the latest.
Launch has apparently occurred way earlier than planned (after 13:45 UTC-ish) - Japan has once issued a seek-for-shelter alert (like the last 2 times) for Okinawa, which has now been removed after the Japanese government reported whatever was launched flew over towards the Pacific ~13:55 UTC.
https://twitter.com/kyodo_english/status/1726961662991929627
TOKYO/SEOUL Nov 21 (Reuters) - North Korea conducted a rocket launch believed to be carrying a satellite on Tuesday, South Korea and Japan said, in what would be Pyongyang's third attempt to place a spy satellite in orbit this year.
North Korea had earlier notified Japan it planned to send up a satellite between Wednesday and Dec. 1, after two failed attempts to launch spy satellites earlier this year.
S. Korean military says no signs of imminent N. Korean satellite launch
Chae Yun-hwan, 채윤환
Chae Yun-hwan
All News 11:29 March 28, 2024
SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea appears to be making preparations for its next launch of a spy satellite, although there are no signs of an imminent launch, South Korea's military said Thursday.
Last November, Pyongyang successfully placed its first military spy satellite into orbit after two failed attempts earlier that year. It has since vowed to launch three more spy satellites this year.
"While there are activities preparing for an additional military satellite launch by North Korea, there are no signs as of now of an imminent (launch)," Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in a briefing.
Lee said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are in close coordination to track North Korea's military activities, but did not provide further details.
Earlier this week, 38 North, a U.S.-based website monitoring North Korea, said an "expanse of blue material" -- possibly a covering -- was spotted on the launch pad of the North's satellite launching station, citing commercial satellite imagery.
38 North said the purpose of the material was unclear but noted the pad likely remains ready to use, raising speculation that a launch may be imminent.
Last week, South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said there was a high possibility the North could stage the satellite launch at the end of this month.
North Korea – 8, 8, 3
Tonghae – 2, 2, 0
Sohae – 6, 6, 3
Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
Possible failed Cheonlima-1 launch from N Korea at 1345 UTC May 27. Waiting for more details.
Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
OK, this story https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240527/k10014462781000.html from NHK Japan reports that S Korea says launch was at 2244 KST so 1344 UTC, with the failure at 1346 UTC.
SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Tuesday that its attempt this week to launch a new satellite-carrying rocket ended in failure due to a midair explosion during the flight of its first-stage rocket.
The deputy chief of the North's national aerospace agency said that the rocket carrying the satellite, the Malligyong-1, exploded during the first-stage flight on Monday night after its launch from a launching station on the country's west coast, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
A preliminary assessment suggested that the "accident" appears attributable to the credibility of a "liquid oxygen plus petroleum" engine, the official was quoted as saying.
The South Korean military has said that it detected the rocket being launched southward over the Yellow Sea from the Tongchang-ri area in the country's northwest at about 10:44 p.m. on Monday.
The launch came hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a trilateral summit in Seoul and reaffirmed their commitment to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang had earlier notified Japan of a plan to launch a satellite sometime before June 4 and designated three areas, where rocket debris is to fall, as a precaution for safety. The liftoff came on the first day of the eight-day launch window.
The recalcitrant regime has planned to launch three satellites into orbit this year. In November, it successfully put its first military spy satellite into orbit.
KCNA Report on Accident in Launch of Military Reconnaissance Satellite
Pyongyang, May 27 (KCNA) -- The Korean Central News Agency made public the following report on May 27 as regards an accident occurred during the launch of military reconnaissance satellite:
The National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) of the DPRK conducted the launch of reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1-1 aboard the new-type satellite carrier rocket at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Cholsan County of North Phyongan Province on May 27, Juche 113 (2024).
The launch failed due to the air blast of the new-type satellite carrier rocket during the first-stage flight, the vice general director of the NATA said.
He said that the experts' examination of the field headquarters of the non-permanent preparatory committee for launching satellites made a preliminary conclusion that the cause of the accident is attributable to the reliability of operation of the newly developed liquid oxygen + petroleum engine, adding that other causes will be examined.