Taepodong-1
| Taepodong-1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | technology demonstrator |
| Service history | |
| Used by |
 North Korea |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer |
North Korea |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 33.4 tons |
| Length | 25.8 m |
| Diameter | 1.8 m |
|
| |
| Engine | liquid-fueled |
Guidance system | inertial |
| Taepodong-1 | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 대포동-1 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | 大浦洞-1 |
| Revised Romanization | Daepodong-1 |
| McCune–Reischauer | Taep'odong-1 |
Taepodong-1 is a three-stage technology demonstrator of an intermediate-range ballistic missile developed by North Korea. The missile was derived originally from the Scud rocket, and was tested once as a space launch vehicle.
History
On August 31, 1998, it was announced by the North Koreans that they had used this rocket to launch their first satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 from a pad on the Musudan-ri peninsula. However, the satellite failed to achieve orbit; outside observers conjecture that the additional third stage either failed to fire or malfunctioned.[1] This is contrary to official statements of the North Korean state media, which stated that the satellite achieved orbit about 5 minutes after launch.[2] On this single launch, the main two-stage booster flew for 1,646 km without any significant problems.[3]
According to post-launch analysis of the launch vehicle, debris from the third stage fell as far as 4,000 kilometers from the launch pad. Some analysts believe that a three-stage space booster variant of the Taepodong-1 could be capable of travelling as far as 5,900 kilometers with a very small payload.[4]
In 2003 the US Defense Intelligence Agency reported to the Congress that, "We have no information to suggest Pyongyang intends to deploy the Taepo Dong 1 (TD-1) as a surface-to-surface missile in North Korea. We believe instead that the vehicle was a test bed for multi-stage missile technologies."[5] In 2009 the US National Air and Space Intelligence Center assessed that the Taepodong-1 was a technology demonstrator, a development step toward longer-range missile development.[6]
Description
- Liftoff thrust: 525.25 kN
- Total mass: 33 406 kg
- Diameter: 1.80 m
- Length: 25.80 m
- Range with 1,500 kg of payload: 2,000 km
- Range with 1,000 kg of payload: 2,500 km
- Range with 50 kg of payload and third stage: 6,000 km[8]
The rocket's first stage is a Rodong-1 MRBM, and the second stage is a Hwasong-6 short-range ballistic missile.
See also
- Strategic Rocket Forces (North Korea)
- Military of North Korea
- Comparison of Asian national space programs
References
- ↑ "A History of Ballistic Missile Development in the DPRK". Center for Nonproliferation Studies Occasional Papers. Retrieved 2006-04-08.
- ↑ Broadcast excerpted in "Kwangmyongsong". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2006-04-08.
- ↑ Все названия испытываемых в КНДР ракет в иностранной печати придуманы, RIA Novosti, 07-07-2006
- ↑ CRS report for Congress
- ↑ E:\PICKUP\89797A
- ↑ Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat (PDF). National Air and Space Intelligence Center (Report) (Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency). April 2009. NASIC-1031-0985-09. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ↑ BBC News - How potent are North Korea's threats?
- ↑ Pekdosan-1 ("Taepodong-1"), skyrocket.de
External links
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