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| North Korea Successfully Tests a Rocket to Launch a Spy Satellite in 2023 |
Pyongyang - North Korea announced the successful flight test of a rocket that will be used to launch a spy satellite in 2023. As evidence, North Korea released images of the cities of Incheon and Seoul in South Korea taken during rocket tests to evaluate the image processing capabilities of the satellites planned.
KCNA announced the rocket launch activity on Monday December 19, 2022 which it called the rocket test launch "important final phase" to verify ground systems, sensors and telemetry. North Korea's only English-language media, The Pyongyang Times, reported that the North Korean space agency is completing preparations for its first military reconnaissance satellite by April 2023.
North Korea's space agency the National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) praised the test in state-run media. "The test confirmed important technical indices including camera operation technology in the space environment," a NADA spokesperson said, according to The Pyongyang Times.
Along with the announcement, North Korea released images of the cities of Incheon and Seoul which it claimed were taken during the test. "This is to evaluate the capabilities of data processing and transmission of communication devices as well as tracking accuracy and control of ground control systems," continued NADA.
The announcement was made by North Korea just a day after Japan and South Korea reported that two ballistic missiles were fired from North Korea on Sunday, December 18, 2022. The launch of the ballistic missiles drew condemnation from the South Korean National Security Council. It was not clear whether the missile launch was related to the satellite launch vehicle test reported by North Korean state media. However, the South Korean military leadership reported that the North Korean ballistic missile was launched at a steep angle and landed in the East Sea, having risen to an altitude of 550 kilometers.
The Pyongyang Times also reported that the satellite launch vehicle test involved launching a high-angle test satellite to an altitude of 500 km. Reports of both incidents seem to describe what is known as a lofted trajectory. Where missiles are fired almost vertically.
This track allows the test vehicle to travel long distances while still landing near its launch site. On November 2, 2022, North Korea fired a record barrage of 23 missiles, most of them into the sea, and a day later conducted an unsuccessful test of its most powerful ballistic missile.