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N. Korean satellite hits skid but to stay in orbit
Source: Agencies |
December 19, 2012, Wednesday
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A NORTH Korean satellite launched into space last week appears to be malfunctioning but could remain in orbit for several years, a leading American expert said yesterday.
North Korea says the satellite is working. United States officials have said it is tumbling in orbit, but even so, its successful launch into space marks a milestone in the country's technological advances, especially given accusations that the rocket launch was actually a test of systems that could be used to launch long-range missiles targeting the US.
Data from trackers in South Africa and Britain suggest the brightness of the satellite has been fluctuating, which indicates it is tumbling as it orbits. That likely means a malfunction in the probe's stabilizers because it was designed to constantly point toward the Earth.
Even so, the probe is continuing to complete orbits and could do so for several years, said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. McDowell said that since the cause of the malfunction remains unclear, it is conceivable that North Korea could determine how to fix it and regain control.
"The best guess at this point is that it is probably broken," he said by telephone from Cambridge, Massachusetts. "It is certainly continuing to complete orbits. It is up there and it will be up there for years. But the thing is sort of twirling around. It seems to me the satellite is not working."
North Korea has hailed the launch as a gift to the nation's late leader, Kim Jong Il, and proof that his young son, Kim Jong Un, has the strength and vision to lead the country.
State news agency KCNA said the satellite is transmitting signals of revolutionary hymns such as "Song of General Kim Il Sung," referring to the country's founder, who is the grandfather of the current leader.
North Korea says the satellite is working. United States officials have said it is tumbling in orbit, but even so, its successful launch into space marks a milestone in the country's technological advances, especially given accusations that the rocket launch was actually a test of systems that could be used to launch long-range missiles targeting the US.
Data from trackers in South Africa and Britain suggest the brightness of the satellite has been fluctuating, which indicates it is tumbling as it orbits. That likely means a malfunction in the probe's stabilizers because it was designed to constantly point toward the Earth.
Even so, the probe is continuing to complete orbits and could do so for several years, said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. McDowell said that since the cause of the malfunction remains unclear, it is conceivable that North Korea could determine how to fix it and regain control.
"The best guess at this point is that it is probably broken," he said by telephone from Cambridge, Massachusetts. "It is certainly continuing to complete orbits. It is up there and it will be up there for years. But the thing is sort of twirling around. It seems to me the satellite is not working."
North Korea has hailed the launch as a gift to the nation's late leader, Kim Jong Il, and proof that his young son, Kim Jong Un, has the strength and vision to lead the country.
State news agency KCNA said the satellite is transmitting signals of revolutionary hymns such as "Song of General Kim Il Sung," referring to the country's founder, who is the grandfather of the current leader.
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