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Febr. 24, 2009 -- North Korea announced it was preparing to launch a satellite
into earth-orbit. "Full-scale preparations are underway at a satellite launch
site,” a North Korean space committee spokesman said through the official Korean
Central News Agency (KCNA) in a statement first reported by South Korea's semi-official
Yonhap News Agency. The Kwangmyongsong-2 satellite would launch on the
Unha-2 rocket, he said. The "experimental communications satellite" will
be launched at Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground in the country's northeast
region.
March 12, 2009 -- North Korea's state news agency said that the country
has informed the organizations "of necessary information for the safe navigation
of planes and ships" amid preparations for a satellite launch. The report did
not say when a launch would take place. North Korea plans to launch a satellite
between April 4 and 8, Yonhap News reported.
March 30, 2009 -- New satellite images showing the current status on North Korean
rocket launch facility in Musudan-ri. The picture showing what appears to be
a large three-stage rocket stack erected by a gantry, confirming news reports
indicating an imminent launch.
Launch video
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go to:
Unha-2 main page
Unha-3 main page
The new umbilical tower in Musudan-ri
(Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground)
in 2006 for the first time used.
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April 05, 2009 -- Following is a full
text of the English-language report on North Korea's KCNA news agency saying
the DPRK had successfully put a satellite into orbit:
"Scientists and technicians of the DPRK (North Korea) have succeeded in putting
satellite Kwangmyongsong-2, an experimental communications satellite, into orbit
by means of carrier rocket Unha-2 under the state's long-term plan for the development
of outer space. Unha-2, which was launched at the Tonghae Satellite Launching
Ground in Hwadae County, North Hamgyong Province at 11:20 (02:20 GMT) on April
5, accurately put Kwangmyongsong-2 into its orbit at 11:29:02, nine minutes
and two seconds after its launch. The satellite is going round the earth
along its elliptic orbit at the angle of inclination of 40.6 degrees at 490
km perigee and 1,426 km apogee. Its cycle is 104 minutes and 12 seconds. Mounted
on the satellite are necessary measuring devices and communications apparatuses.
The satellite is going round on its routine orbit. It is sending to the earth
the melodies of the immortal revolutionary paeans 'Song of General Kim Il-sung'
and 'Song of General Kim Jong-il' and measured information at 470 MHz. By the
use of the satellite the relay communications is now underway by UHF frequency
band. The satellite is of decisive significance in promoting the scientific
researches into the peaceful use of outer space and solving scientific and technological
problems for the launch of practical satellites in the future. Carrier rocket
Unha-2 has three stages. The carrier rocket and the satellite developed by the
indigenous wisdom and technology are the shining results gained in the efforts
to develop the nation's space science and technology on a higher level…."
PYONGYANG, May 07, 2009, (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic
of Korea has reconfirmed that its satellite launch in early April was successful,
the official news agency KCNA said.
The Kwangmyongsong-2 satellite was accurately put into orbit and has sent back
the melodies of songs, said a spokesman for the Korean Committee of Space Technology.
The satellite has changed its movement under control of ground command and information
it has sent back has been received and analyzed, the spokesman said in a statement
quoted by the KCNA.
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The design of the impressive launch vehicle "Unha-2" is a great surprise.
Time before, I have believed that the first stage could be the reproduction
of a Chinese DF-3 missile.
That is not confirmed now. China is
not involved. The first stage of the
"Unha-2" is clearly a brand-new rocket. The propulsion is a cluster of four
Nodong engines. All four fixed Nodong engines of cluster use its own turbopumps
with their typical exhaust tubes. The turbopump exhaust tubes are inside of
the airframe. Length, diameter and masses of the stage correspond not with the
Chinese DF-3 missile (what I previously believed). The diameter of 2.40 m is
larger as at the Chinese DF-3 !
The second stage is for the attentive analyst not a surprise, since the Iranian
Safir IRILV is known. The second stage of the Safir IRILV is in fact a down-scaled
variant (probably used for the unknown North Korean Unha-1). The new North Korean
larger dimensioned stage (diameter 1.50 m) probably is propelled by new small
engines with higher thrust.
The third stage appears to be a solid fuel motor, likewise was used by the first
Chinese launcher CZ-1. The motor is within the large lower part of the payload
fairing. The Unha-2 rocket is total approximately 29.7 m long.
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