News

North Korea’s second attempt to place a spy satellite in orbit failed on Thursday. The rocket booster experienced a problem during its third stage, leading to the failure. The country’s first try in May also ended in failure when the rocket crashed into the sea.

North Korea had given itself an eight-day window to attempt the launch. The goal was to place its first military spy satellite into orbit as the country plans to develop a fleet of satellites to monitor the movements of U.S. and South Korean troops.

According to state news agency KCNA, the first and second stages of the rocket were normal, but an error in the emergency blasting system during the third stage flight caused the launch to fail. South Korea’s military verified the failure and tracked the flight.

The launch triggered an emergency warning in Japan, urging residents of Okinawa to take cover indoors. However, the warning was lifted after it was confirmed that the missile had passed through towards the Pacific Ocean.

The launch was condemned as a provocation and a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions by South Korea’s National Security Council. The U.S. State Department also called on North Korea to refrain from further threatening activity and engage in serious diplomacy.

North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) stated that it would investigate the cause of the failure and take steps to fix it. The agency plans to conduct another satellite launch in October after thoroughly probing the issue.

While the failure of the launch was not a major surprise, it suggests that North Korea has made some progress since May’s crash. Analysts believe that spy satellites are crucial for the country to improve the effectiveness of its weapons.

North Korea has previously attempted to launch earth observation satellites, with two appearing to have been successfully placed in orbit, including one in 2016. The success of these satellites, however, remains a topic of debate among international observers.

The post North Korea’s Attempt to Launch Spy Satellite Fails Again appeared first on ISP Today.