Work on track to launch North Korean rocket
Source: Agencies |
April 11, 2012, Wednesday
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NORTH Korean space officials said yesterday all assembly and preparations for this week's planned satellite launch have been completed and denied it is a cover for a missile test.
Space officials told reporters at a news conference in Pyongyang that the launch of the three-stage rocket is on target to take place between tomorrow and next Monday as part of centennial birthday commemorations for late President Kim Il Sung, the country's founder.
The Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite, equipped with a camera designed to capture images of North Korea's terrain and send back data about weather conditions, was being mounted on the rocket yesterday, said Ryu Kum Chol, deputy director of the Space Development Department of the Korean Committee for Space Technology.
"All the assembly and preparations of the satellite launch are done," including fueling of the rocket, he said.
The United States, Britain, Japan and others have urged North Korea to cancel the launch, saying it would be considered a violation of United Nations resolutions prohibiting the country from nuclear and ballistic missile activity.
Experts say the Unha-3 carrier is the same type of rocket that would be used to launch a long-range missile aimed at the US and other targets. North Korea has tested two atomic devices but is not believed to have mastered the technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile.
Ryu acknowledged similarities between the rockets used for launching a satellite and a ballistic missile. However, he noted that solid fuel is used to launch ballistic missiles, while the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite will be sent using liquid fuel. Also, in order to be a success, a ballistic missile would require a large payload, he said.
"Our satellite weighs 100 kilograms. For a weapon, a 100-kg payload wouldn't be very effective," he said, dismissing assertions that the launch is a cover for developing missile technology as "nonsense."
Ryu said he could not provide any answers to questions about whether North Korea is planning a third nuclear test.
This week's satellite launch from a new facility in the hamlet of Tongchang-ri on North Korea's west coast would be the country's third attempt since 1998. Two previous rockets, also named Unha, were mounted with experimental communications satellites and sent from the east coast.
North Korean officials say the 2009 satellite reached orbit, citing Russian confirmation. But the US North American Aerospace Defense Command said Kwangmyongsong-2 did not make it into space, and shortly after the launch, the Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed senior Russian military official saying the same thing.
Space officials told reporters at a news conference in Pyongyang that the launch of the three-stage rocket is on target to take place between tomorrow and next Monday as part of centennial birthday commemorations for late President Kim Il Sung, the country's founder.
The Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite, equipped with a camera designed to capture images of North Korea's terrain and send back data about weather conditions, was being mounted on the rocket yesterday, said Ryu Kum Chol, deputy director of the Space Development Department of the Korean Committee for Space Technology.
"All the assembly and preparations of the satellite launch are done," including fueling of the rocket, he said.
The United States, Britain, Japan and others have urged North Korea to cancel the launch, saying it would be considered a violation of United Nations resolutions prohibiting the country from nuclear and ballistic missile activity.
Experts say the Unha-3 carrier is the same type of rocket that would be used to launch a long-range missile aimed at the US and other targets. North Korea has tested two atomic devices but is not believed to have mastered the technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile.
Ryu acknowledged similarities between the rockets used for launching a satellite and a ballistic missile. However, he noted that solid fuel is used to launch ballistic missiles, while the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite will be sent using liquid fuel. Also, in order to be a success, a ballistic missile would require a large payload, he said.
"Our satellite weighs 100 kilograms. For a weapon, a 100-kg payload wouldn't be very effective," he said, dismissing assertions that the launch is a cover for developing missile technology as "nonsense."
Ryu said he could not provide any answers to questions about whether North Korea is planning a third nuclear test.
This week's satellite launch from a new facility in the hamlet of Tongchang-ri on North Korea's west coast would be the country's third attempt since 1998. Two previous rockets, also named Unha, were mounted with experimental communications satellites and sent from the east coast.
North Korean officials say the 2009 satellite reached orbit, citing Russian confirmation. But the US North American Aerospace Defense Command said Kwangmyongsong-2 did not make it into space, and shortly after the launch, the Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed senior Russian military official saying the same thing.
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