NORTH KOREA: "SATELLITE LAUNCH IMMINENT"

- Pyongyang, 24 Feb. - North Korea announced the imminent launch of a satellite into space with one of its long range missiles. A note from official press agency KCNA reported that "there was a strong acceleration in preparations" to put an experimental satellite for communications into orbit.

"The preparations for launching experimental communications satellite Kwangmyongsong-2 by means of delivery rocket Unha-2 are now making brisk headway," North Korea's Committee of Space Technology said in a statement carried by the state-run news agency, KCNA. It was the first official confirmation by North Korea of its activities at a missile-launching base at Musudan-ri, on its east coast."



Who wants to make a bet on this?
I'm putting odds that the thing blows up after 30 seconds. I'll do an under - over with any takers.

30 seconds is generous!

Funny story about their "first" satellite launch....

On occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK, the official Korean Central News Agency announced on September 1st, 1998 Juche 87, that a satellite called Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 had been launched at 3:07 UTC on August 31.

North Korea claimed that confirmation of the launch and detection of the satellite by the Space Tracking Center in Moscow was quickly reported by the Russian Space Agency.

This was followed on September 14 by a video of the launch, images of the satellite, and an animation of the satellite in orbit.

According to the North Korean media it completed its hundredth orbit on September 13, 1998, and was in an elliptical orbit. It was also reported to be transmitting the melody of "Song of General Kim Il-sung" and "Song of General Kim Jong-il"


The U.S./Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) were unable to detect the satellite visually, by radar, or to pick up its radio signals, reporting instead that it continued east, burning up, with a debris trail that apparently extended to approximately 4,000 ㎞. It is thought that the satellite launch failed due to underperformance of the solid fueled third stage, placing the satellite into an orbit from which it decayed very quickly. But there is some doubt as to whether the satellite existed at all. Many of their observers argued the story of a satellite launch was invented to allay the western outrage that followed North Korea's test-firing of a “Taepodong-1 ballistic missile”, which crossed over Japan before crashing into the Pacific Ocean.

This "satellite launch" is going to be a fun story to watch. I'll wager on the over, it'll crash after 30 seconds.

And we're supposed to believe that China has put humans into space?? The pics of those astronauts looked like something out of a 1950's low-budget japanese sci-fi flick.

As for NK, they smell weakness with Obama and Clinton, so expect more threats of satellite/missile launches....

DPRK attempts its 2nd satellite launch 10 years after the 1st? Wow, what a breakneck pace they're on. Warp drive can't be far off.

China HAS put "taikonauts" in space, and NK no doubt "borrows" Chinese technology for their *cough* space program.

North Korea may indeed use Chinese technology for their program, but being so secretive and self-reliant may guarantee that they don't let the Chinese see too much.
This rocket will probably blow up, but the North Korean media would never admit it.

I'm also guessing NK is also sharing space/missile technology with Iran. It's happening concurrently with them as well.

I'm hoping the satellite succeeds so I can hear it broadcasting the "Song of General Kim Jong-il".

Jong-Il's Hair Apparent wrote:

I'm hoping the satellite succeeds so I can hear it broadcasting the "Song of General Kim Jong-il".

I'll bet that you do.

catcher22 wrote:

Jong-Il's Hair Apparent wrote:

I'm hoping the satellite succeeds so I can hear it broadcasting the "Song of General Kim Jong-il".

I'll bet that you do.

LOL - rolling eyes smilie >---> = sarcasim. PTGsmack

I'm still waiting for this "imminent" satellite launch ...................

You may be waiting a long time. With NK, it's always more bluster than substance.

We can all stop worrying now, China calls for peace.

March 07, 2009 17:05 PM
Satellite Launch: China Calls For Peace
BEIJING, March 7 (Bernama) -- China urged Saturday for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, amid reports that North Korea was preparing to launch a communications satellite.
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said China was closely following the situation.

Thank goodness China came to the rescue.

There was a story put out today that Japan has already threatened to shoot down the rogue missile, if fired.

But the question is: what will Japan use to shoot it down with??? Well, there's going to be nothing to shoot down, so I guess we're safe.

"Imminent" launch is now 3 weeks away -
North Korea told international agencies earlier this week that it plans to put a communications satellite into orbit between April 4 and 8, using a rocket that will fly over Japan and likely drop spent fuel stages into the Pacific.

I can see why Japan is concerned, it will fly right over them. They obviously wouldn't have much confidence that NK technology would prevent it or the stages from crashing down on them.

NK says it will launch between Apr. 4 and 8. Now we know that "imminent" means 6 weeks in NKspeak.

This will be a good show. Grab the popcorn and watch the Kwangmyongsong-2 plunge back to Earth, in thousands of bright flaming pieces, like a 4th of July fireworks show on steroids.

It will never get this far, there won't be much to see.

JIMBIALEK wrote:

NK says it will launch between Apr. 4 and 8. Now we know that "imminent" means 6 weeks in NKspeak.

This will be a good show. Grab the popcorn and watch the Kwangmyongsong-2 plunge back to Earth, in thousands of bright flaming pieces, like a 4th of July fireworks show on steroids.

And as it plunges back to earth, watch as Japan tries to fire their own missile to intercept "debris" as they're showered with glowing, radioactive material courtesy of the DPRK.

Today they again said the launch is imminent. Any day now ......

Geraldo Rivera just announced minutes ago that the missle has been launched.

HEADS UP, EVERYBODY!!! Watch out for falling debris.

So, the world says the missle plunged into the ocean and NK says it is orbiting the earth broadcasting glorious songs of the Kims. I wonder who to believe?

By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:53 AM PDT, April 6, 2009
Reporting from Seoul — Who cares if the whole world is calling North Korea's weekend space launch a dud – that the regime's vaunted communications satellite probably now sits somewhere on the Pacific Ocean floor?

Self-proclaimed Dear Leader Kim Jong Il still insists that his crack staff of rocket scientists boldly launched a craft into orbit Sunday. And no one is going to tell him any differently.

A release from North Korea's state-run press today said Kim watched the launch at the nation's Satellite Control and Command Center and has deemed the effort "successful."

"It is a striking demonstration of the might of our Juche-oriented science and technology that our scientists and technicians developed both the multistage carrier rocket and the satellite with their own wisdom and technology [and] 100 percent and accurately put the satellite into orbit at one go," the Korea Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying.

No, this was a day of celebration. Forget past long-range missile test failures or a bungled 1998 attempt to put a satellite into space that would have beamed patriotic songs back to the homeland.

Instead, Kim said his Kwangmyongsong-2 satellite brought North Korea closer to conquering outer space. He praised "the patriotic devotion of the scientists and technicians who are playing a vanguard role in the drive to open the gate to a great prosperous and powerful nation," according to the North's state-run media.

But a photo the agency released of Kim reportedly meeting and posing with his "scientists and technicians" shows a breakdown in the story line. Instead of celebratory, the mood of Kim and his underlings looks downright somber, mannequin-stiff.

Judging by photos, this was no party. It was a funeral.

All that hype over a missile that crashes into the sea. Instead of showing how powerful their regeme is, they just proved how impotent they really are.

Impotent? Not really. They launch their missile a day or two after BHO states he wants a nuclear-free world.

So who's really impotent right now???

They proved that they have excellent submarine seeking missiles.