North Korea launches spy satellite in spring
2022.12.19 06:50
North Korea launches spy satellite in spring
Budrigannews.com – According to KCNA, the state media of North Korea, the country carried out an “important, final phase” test for the development of a spy satellite on Sunday. The goal is for the project to be finished by April 2023.
A day earlier, the militaries of South Korea and Japan had reported that the isolated North had launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward its east coast. The report was made public.
Pyongyang’s Public Aviation Improvement Organization (Nothing) led the test at its Sohae satellite sending off station in the northwest to audit its ability of satellite imaging, information transmission and ground control frameworks, as per KCNA.
At a “lofted angle” of 500 kilometers, a vehicle carrying a fictitious satellite was fired at. The vehicle also contained a full-color camera with a resolution of 20 meters, two multi-spectra cameras, image transmitters and receivers, a control device, and a storage battery.
In the KCNA dispatch, a spokesperson for NADA stated, “We confirmed important technical indicators such as camera operating technology in the space environment, data processing and transmission capability of the communication devices, and tracking and control accuracy of the ground control system.”
The test, which will be finished by April, was referred to by the spokesperson as the “final gateway process of launching a reconnaissance satellite.”
KCNA also made two low-resolution black-and-white photographs of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and the nearby port city of Incheon, which it claimed were taken during Sunday’s launch.
Fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, Martyn Williams, stated that the North’s camera is unable to perform the typical imaging functions of modern commercial satellites that he would use for the 38 North project, which provide images at 50 cm or even 30 cm.
He stated, “The satellite will be able to make out buildings, ships, and aircraft at a resolution of 20 meters, but not vehicles, people, or other machinery.”
“It’s very coarse and doesn’t really help you figure out what’s going on in the real world.”
Other KCNA photos from the launch scene, which showed an old missile carrying cameras rather than a satellite, were questioned by senior researcher Shin Jong-woo.
He stated, “You don’t want to bring an old missile for a program as important as satellite and spate development.”
Shin asserted that the launch of the missile and the dissemination of the satellite images may have been carried out with the intention of posing a threat to Seoul and Tokyo.
Williams added that it was unlikely that the missile would have put the satellite into orbit, but that the launch might have been used to test and verify technology like the ability to send back data and images at a specific time.
Williams stated, “Even if it is crude, North Korea has demonstrated with its other programs a continuous technological advancement, so what they do now will likely be improved in the coming years.”
In defiance of international sanctions, North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, one of which was an ICBM designed to reach the U.S. mainland.
As part of its efforts to develop a new strategic weapon and accelerate its nuclear and missile programs, the North tested a high-thrust solid-fuel engine on Thursday. According to experts, this engine would make it easier to launch ballistic missiles faster and more easily.
Kim Jong Un, the country’s leader, has stated that Pyongyang’s pursuit of a spy satellite is intended to provide real-time information on military actions by the United States and its allies. Pyongyang has tested satellite systems during a number of rocket launches.
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The North’s most recent launch was strongly condemned by the South Korean presidential office, which stated that the North’s continued provocations as well as its development of nuclear weapons and missiles would only put its own regime in danger.
