loading…
North Korea has failed to launch a spy satellite for the second time and is set to try a third in October. Photo/KCNA via REUTERS
PYONGYANG – North Korea (Korut) on Thursday (24/8/2023) admitted that its second attempt to launch a spy satellite failed. However, Pyongyang promised to make a third attempt in October.
The announcement follows a statement by the South Korean military (South Korea) that North Korea has launched a long-range rocket.
The North Korean space agency said it used a new type of Chollima-1 carrier rocket to put the Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite into orbit.
It stated that the flight of the first and second stage of the rocket proceeded normally, but the launch ultimately failed due to a fault in the emergency detonation system during the flight of the third stage. This was reported by the state media, KCNA.
The space agency said it would make a third launch attempt in October after learning what went wrong with Thursday’s launch.
“The cause of the accident is not a major concern in terms of the reliability of the engine and cascade system,” the agency said.
Earlier in the day, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that they detected the rocket flying over international waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula after taking off in the Tongchang-ri area in northwestern North Korea at 3:50 am.
North Korea previously failed to launch a spy satellite in the same area at the end of May.
South Korea’s military says it has improved its surveillance posture and is coordinating closely with the United States.
