Taepodong-1

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Taepodong-1
The Taepodong-1 being launched from Musudan-ri
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl:	대포동-1
Hanja:	大浦洞-1
McCune-Reischauer:	Taep'odong-1
Revised Romanization:	Daepodong-1

Taepodong-1 is a three-stage intermediate-range ballistic missile developed in North Korea and currently in service there. The missile was derived originally from the Scud rocket, and can allegedly serve as both a nuclear delivery system and a space launch vehicle.

1 History
2 Description
3 Operators
4 Notes
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

On August 31, 1998, it was announced by the North Koreans that they had used this rocket to launch their first satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng from a pad on the Musudan-ri peninsula. However, western sources never announced the detection of the satellite in orbit; it is thought that the third stage failed to fire and the satellite decayed very quickly^[1] while others believe the satellite never existed at all (see Kwangmyŏngsŏng article).

After the launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng, the following launch data was released. For an orbital flight the first stage burns for 95 seconds and lands in the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea) at 40°51′N, 139°40′E. The second stage burns for 144 seconds and impacts the Pacific Ocean at 40°13′N, 149°07′E. The third stage burns for a further 27 seconds. According to the North Korean media the object was in orbit about 5 minutes after launch. ^[2]

[edit] Description

Taepodong-1

Liftoff thrust: 525.25 kN
Total mass: 33 406 kg
Diameter: 1.80 m
Length: 25.80 m

The rocket's first stage is a Nodong-1 IRBM.

[edit] Operators

North Korea: The military of North Korea is the only operator of the Taepodong-1.

[edit] Notes

^ A History of Ballistic Missile Development in the DPRK. Center for Nonproliferation Studies Occasional Papers. Retrieved on April 8, 2006.
^ Broadcast excerpted in Kwangmyongsong. Encylopedia Astronautica. Retrieved on April 8, 2006.