Sohae Satellite Launching Station

Sohae Satellite Launching Station
서해위성발사장
North Korea

Unha-3 rocket in the site before launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3.
Sohae Satellite Launching Station
Coordinates 39°39′36″N 124°42′18″E / 39.660°N 124.705°E
Type Spaceport
Site history
Built 1990s
Built by North Korea

Sohae Satellite Launching Station (Chosŏn'gŭl: 서해위성발사장; hancha: 西海衛星發射場; MR: Sohae Wisŏng Palsajang, also known as Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center and Pongdong-ri) is a rocket launching site in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, North Korea. The base is located among hills close to the northern border with China. The spaceport was built on the site of the village Pongdong-ri which was displaced during construction. It was the site for the 13 April 2012 launch of North Korean satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 which was being launched to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-Sung.[1][2] The rocket launch failed, but on 12 December of the same year Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 was successfully launched and brought into Earth orbit.

The launches were controversial as they were dismissed by the US as tests of ballistic missile technology and hence of breach of an agreement made between North Korea and the USA in February 2012.[3]

History

Signs of construction were visible during the early 1990s and became more pronounced by the early 2000s. A major progress in the construction was discovered in 2008 by Jane's Information Group, which requested imagery from the satellite company DigitalGlobe. Movements from the Sanum’dong missile research factory with the erector transporter and railroad, road transportation to the space center of a prototype Unha-3 class booster first two stages initially took place over 29–31 May 2009 possibly for logistics testing as well as personnel facilities infrastructure testing training purposes. The results of those tests suggest that military and design specialists ultimately decided to build a facilities access railroad to cut down the 15 kilometer road access logistics issues to the space center.

By early 2011 it was reported that the construction was completed and that it had been under construction for a decade.[4] The first official mention of the site took place in March 2012 when North Korea announced it will launch from that site the satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3. On April 2012, prior to the launch of the satellite, Jang Myong-jin, director of the Sohae, introduced the launching process of the Unha-3 rocket (Korean: 은하-3호, 銀河-3) during a guided media tour.[5][6]

The first launch of Kwangmyongsong-3 on 12 April 2012 failed. On 1 December 2012, the Korean Central News Agency announced that a second version of Kwangmyongsong-3 was to be launched from Sohae between 10 December – 22 December 2012.[7] North Korea declared the launch successful, and the South Korean military and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported that initial indications suggested that an object had achieved orbit.[8][9] North Korea had previously claimed the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 and Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 launches successful,[10][11] despite American military sources confirming that they failed to achieve orbit.[12][13]

Facilities

The entire facility occupies over six square kilometers, and consists of a launch site, a static rocket motor test stand, vehicle checkout and processing buildings, a launch control building, a large support area, a complex headquarters building and an entry control point. The site is five times larger than Tonghae Launch Site.[14] There is much speculation about the functions of different parts of the site [15] but the nuances of satellite photography based guesswork may not be communicated effectively in the mass media.

Western sources identified a building as a "high bay processing facility" which turned out to be the launch control centre when the site was visited by journalists. The building previously identified as the control centre was actually an observation point.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "DPRK to Launch Application Satellite". Naenara Times. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Kwangmyongsong-3 Ready to Launch". Korean Committee of Solidarity with the World People. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "DPRK’s Satellite Launch Not Contradictory to DPRK-U.S. Agreement — KCNA". Korean Central News Agency. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  4. ↑ Laurence, Jeremy (17 February 2011). "North Korea completes second missile site". Reuters. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  5. ↑ Allen, Emily; Cooper, Rob (10 April 2012). "Fears North Korea are preparing to carry out a new underground nuclear test". Daily Mail. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "Foreign Media Persons and Experts on Space Science and Technology Visit Sohae Satellite Launching Station". Naenara Times. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  7. ↑ Christy, Robert (1 December 2012). "Kwangmyongsong 3-2 Launch". Zarya.info. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "North Korea reports successful launch of controversial rocket". MSN/NBC.
  9. ↑ "NORAD acknowledges missile launch". North American Aerospace Defense Command. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  10. ↑ Encyclopedia Astronautica. "1998.08.31 - Kwangmyŏngsŏng 1". Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  11. ↑ "N.Korea says it successfully launched satellite". Reuters. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  12. ↑ United States Northern Command. "NORAD and USNORTHCOM monitor North Korean launch". Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  13. ↑ "North Korea space launch 'fails'". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  14. ↑ Song Hang-So (11 April 2011). "N. Korea finishes new missile facility: reports". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Oberg, James (9 April 2012). "Clues about North Korea's space plans come to light at last". MSNBC. Retrieved 12 April 2012.