2024-04-08 14:50:49
The satellite was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite soon successfully established contact with an overseas ground station, the ministry said. “The second intelligence satellite of our military successfully separated from the launch vehicle at around 09:02. (2:02 p.m. Lithuanian time) and flew into the intended orbit,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
According to Seoul’s military, the successful launch “further strengthened independent intelligence and surveillance capabilities.” In December, Seoul launched its first military surveillance satellite, also launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The space race on the Korean peninsula continues, with North Korea launching its first satellite in November. Seoul’s defense minister said the military is closely monitoring North Korea to see if it launches more satellites, which had been expected in March and is now thought to be attempted by Pyongyang in mid-April. April 15th has a special significance for North Korea, it is the birthday of the founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, it is celebrated in the country as the Day of the Sun, usually military parades or other mass events take place on that occasion.
South Korea’s first satellite has transmitted high-resolution images of Pyongyang to Seoul, according to Yonhap news agency. Seoul plans by 2025 launch a total of five military spy satellites to better monitor the North. Once all five enter orbit and begin their missions, South Korea’s military will be able to monitor key North Korean targets using images sent every two hours, according to a statement from Seoul’s state-run broadcaster KTV.
For its part, North Korea said its spy satellite had sent photos of the US naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and “key target” locations across South Korea.
The North’s launch of Malligyong-1 was Pyongyang’s third attempt to put such a satellite into orbit after two failed attempts last May and August. According to Seoul, North Korea received technical assistance from Russia in exchange for weapons used in the war in Ukraine. Putting a functioning reconnaissance satellite into orbit would improve North Korea’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, especially on South Korea, and would provide critical data in the event of a military conflict, experts said. This year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its “biggest enemy”, ditched unification and intelligence agencies and threatened war if “even a millimeter” of its territory is violated.
2024-04-08 14:50:49