NKorea's Spy Satellite Launch Ends in Mid-Air Explosion

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Facts

• North Korea has confirmed that its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite — the Malligyong-1-1 — failed after the space launch vehicle exploded mid-air during the first stage of flight on Monday evening.¹
• According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, preliminary findings indicate that the failure was likely related to a newly developed liquid oxygen-petroleum engine.²
• Previously, South Korea reported that Pyongyang had carried out a launch in a southerly direction over the Yellow Sea around 10:44 p.m. local time, with Japan also briefly issuing an emergency alert for Okinawa prefecture.³
• North Korea, which plans to put three military spy satellites into orbit this year, reportedly informed Japan that a launch was planned to take place between May 27 and June 4.⁴
• Pyongyang successfully put its first such satellite — the Malligyong-1 — into orbit last November after two failed attempts. As of February, the spacecraft was reportedly 'alive.'⁵
• Seoul claims that Moscow has technically assisted Pyongyang in exchange for weapons to use in Ukraine, with South Korean news agency Yonhap reporting that Russian engineers had entered North Korea to help with the satellite launch.⁶

Sources: ¹NK News, ²XINHUA, ³Nikkei Asia, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵Voice of America and ⁶The Telegraph.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Given that North Korea has openly tested its intercontinental ballistic missile systems, it's evident that its satellite launches are no longer used as a cover for its ballistic missile program. Whether you agree or not with the political goals and military strategies from the North, capabilities such as spy satellites can help promote regional stability.

Predictions