North Korea’s attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded mid-flight. This setback occurred just hours after Pyongyang announced it would attempt to launch the satellite by June 4, aiming to place its second spy satellite in orbit.
Instead of success, this launch marked another failure for the nuclear-armed North, following two other unsuccessful attempts last year. North Korea had previously succeeded in placing its first spy satellite in orbit in November.
“The launch of the new satellite carrier rocket failed when it exploded in mid-air during the flight of the first stage,” reported the deputy director general of North Korea’s National Aerospace Technology Administration through state media. An initial analysis suggested that the failure was due to a newly developed liquid fuel rocket motor, though other potential causes are under investigation.
Officials from South Korea and Japan had earlier confirmed the apparent failure of the launch. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that North Korea fired the projectile off its west coast at around 10:44 p.m. (1344 GMT), detecting a large amount of debris in the sea just two minutes after launch. The object disappeared over the Yellow Sea, according to Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.
“These launches are in violation of relevant Security Council resolutions and are a serious matter concerning the safety of our people,” Hayashi stated. The United States also condemned the launch, noting that it used technologies directly related to North Korea’s ballistic missile program and violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
The failed launch came shortly after China, South Korea, and Japan concluded a rare three-way summit in Seoul. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had urged North Korea not to proceed with the launch. While Chinese Premier Li Qiang did not address the launch, he called for all parties to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed video footage of what appeared to be an orange dot flying into the night sky before bursting into flames near the border between China and North Korea. The launch prompted public alerts in several areas of Japan, which were later withdrawn when it was clear the rocket would not fly over the islands.
This failure follows North Korea’s first attempt to launch the new Chollima-1 satellite rocket on May 31 last year, which ended in a second-stage failure. State media attributed that setback to an unstable and unreliable new engine system and fuel. South Korea recovered the wreckage of that satellite, concluding that it had no meaningful use as a reconnaissance platform. Another attempt in August also failed due to problems with the rocket boosters, causing the payloads to crash into the sea.
Despite these setbacks, North Korea’s first spy satellite, Malligyong-1, launched in November, is reportedly “alive,” with US space experts noting changes in its orbit suggesting Pyongyang’s successful control over the spacecraft. However, its capabilities remain unclear.
North Korean state media claimed the satellite had transmitted photos of the Pentagon and White House, but no images have been released. The successful November launch followed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s rare trip to Russia in September, where President Vladimir Putin pledged to help Pyongyang develop satellites.
While neither country has detailed the extent of this future aid, such cooperation could violate UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Russian experts have visited North Korea to assist with the satellite and space rocket program.
Pyongyang has stated that it needs a military reconnaissance satellite to enhance its monitoring of US and South Korean military activities.
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