According to state media, North Korea’s second endeavor to launch a spy satellite into orbit was unsuccessful on Thursday. The rocket’s third stage encountered a malfunction, prompting space officials to announce a renewed attempt in October.
North Korea tried again to send a spy satellite into space on August 24, 2023. They used a new rocket called Chollima-1 to carry the satellite Malligyong-1. But something went wrong during the third part of the rocket’s journey, and the launch didn’t work.
The North Korean space agency, called the National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA), said they will try launching the satellite again in October. They want to figure out what went wrong this time before they try again.
This is the second time in a few months that North Korea couldn’t launch a spy satellite. They had the same problem in May.
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Pyongyang had warned in May that the Kim regime needed a “reliable reconnaissance information system” so that it could keep “a grip on enemy military activities in real-time,” citing joint military drills between the United States and South Korea. The North’s latest launch came as the two allies are conducting 11-day-long exercises, which include field training events based on war scenarios.
Failing this launch is not good for North Korea’s plan to make its military stronger. A spy satellite would help them watch their enemies from space, which is really important in a fight.
We don’t know yet why this launch didn’t work. Some experts think the new rocket, Chollima-1, might have issues. Others think maybe people made mistakes during the launch preparations because North Korea’s space program is not as good as other countries.
No matter what caused the problem, it’s clear that North Korea still has a lot of work to do to make sure their rockets can launch reliably. They’ve been getting better, but they’re not there yet.
We’ll have to wait and see if North Korea can finally launch a spy satellite in October. They really want to, and they’re not going to give up, even if they have problems along the way.