Issue 74

30 May 2023: North Korea attempted its first satellite launch attempt in 7 years, with a Chollima-1 rocket failing to deploy the Malligyong-1 satellite. The rocket lifted off from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground and appears to have suffered an anomaly around the time of first stage separation and did not achieve its planned orbit. Debris from the launch fell into the sea off the coast of South Korea, where it has been recovered by South Korean forces.

– Malligyong-1 was believed to be an electro-optical imaging spacecraft. The satellite’s name translates as “great mirror” or “telescope”.

– North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) claimed that Malligyong-1 would be able to image the Earth at resolutions of up to 20m using a monochromatic camera and the spacecraft would be equipped with multispectral imaging and video transmission system. The satellite was supposed to orbit at an altitude of 500km.

– The rocket splashed 200km from Eocheong into a location consistent with the planned stage 1 impact area. The resulting debris fell into the Yellow Sea. It appears the Chollima-1 SLV first stage may be powered by dual nozzle RD-250 derived liquid fuel engine as fitted to North Korea’s Hwasong-15 ICBM.

– Hazard areas announced ahead of the launch indicated a high-inclination orbit was being targeted, with the rocket initially flying south-southwest from its launch site before making a dog-leg maneuver to the south-southeast after the separation of the first stage. This trajectory would have resulted in an orbital inclination of about 76° – although a further dogleg during third-stage flight could have increased the inclination for a more polar or sun-synchronous orbit.

– Although the timing is almost certainly a coincidence, Wednesday’s launch is the second from the Korean peninsula in less than a week with South Korea launching one of its Nuri rockets last Thursday.

– North Korea’s rocket and the satellite are brand-new, suggesting their capacity and other technical details are shrouded in mystery.

– Following the failure, North Korea stated their intent for another launch as soon as possible, once an investigation has been completed and any necessary tests completed.

– North Korea has been developing satellite reconnaissance capabilities for some time, with hardware being test-flown during missile tests last year. In March 2022 the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, toured the Sohae launch site. He also recently toured the satellite manufacturing facility. Video.