North Korea's space satellite crashes into sea; alerts sent then retracted in South Korea, Japan - The Straits Times

SEOUL/TOKYO – A satellite launch conducted by North Korea on Wednesday ended in failure after the rocket’s second stage malfunctioned, sending the craft plunging into the sea, state media said, as the nuclear-armed North seeks to gain ground in a regional space race.

The launch prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan, which were then withdrawn with no danger or damage reported.

The “Chollima-1” rocket plunged into the sea “after losing thrust due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine”, the Korean Central News Agency (KNCA) reported, in an unusually candid admission of a technical failure by the North.

KCNA said Pyongyang’s National Aerospace Development Administration will investigate the “serious defects” and take action to overcome them before conducting a second launch as soon as possible.

The launch was the nuclear-armed state’s sixth satellite launch attempt, and the first since 2016.

North Korea had said it would launch its first military reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11 to boost monitoring of US military activities.

In data provided to the international authorities, Pyongyang said the launch would carry the rocket south, with various stages and other debris expected to fall over the Yellow Sea and into the Pacific Ocean.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday the military was conducting a salvage operation to recover what is believed to be parts of the space launch vehicle.

The military shared pictures of debris pulled from the water, including a large cylindrical object tethered to a buoy.

Mr George William Herbert, adjunct professor at the Centre for Nonproliferation Studies and a missile consultant, said the images showed at least part of a rocket, including an “interstage” section designed to connect to another stage.

It is most likely a liquid-fuel rocket, and a round, brown object inside is likely a propellant tank for either fuel or oxidiser, he added.

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2023-05-30 21:48:28Z
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