Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) – The National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea successfully launched the new-type carrier rocket “Chollima-1” loaded with the reconnaissance satellite “Malligyong-1” at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Cholsan County, North Phyongan Province, at 22:42:28 on November 21, Juche 112 (2023).
The carrier rocket “Chollima-1” flew normally along the preset flight track and accurately put the reconnaissance satellite “Malligyong-1” on its orbit at 22:54:13, 705s after the launch.
The launch of reconnaissance satellite is a legitimate right of the DPRK for strengthening its self-defensive capabilities and it will make a significant contribution to definitely ramping up the war preparedness of the armed forces of the Republic in conformity with the security environment created in and around the country owing to the enemies’ dangerous military moves.
Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, oversaw the launch on the spot.
He was accompanied by Kim Jong Sik, vice department director of the WPK Central Committee, and Jang Chang Ha, general director of the DPRK General Missile Bureau.
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch and warmly congratulated all the cadres, scientists and technicians of the NATA and relevant institutions on having made a great contribution to enhancing the Republic’s war deterrent and most correctly and excellently implementing the resolution of the Eighth Congress of the WPK.
The NATA is to present to the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee a plan for continuing to secure the capability to reconnoiter the south Korean region and the region of operational interest of the DPRK armed forces by additionally launching several reconnaissance satellites in a short span of time. -0-
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That is a charitable read, I try to be fair to the engineers involved as it is real work, but honestly the whole endeavor is rotten from the top.
I saw two distinct failure modes from the last launch, in two different subsystems, where previously the rocket failed pretty clearly from eating its own concrete backwash.
They claim the booster was intentionally self-destructed, but from looking at the timeline of events there was no reason to intentionally self destruct It was over open ocean and appeared to come apart under its own forces, rather than intentionally.
The starship engines were displayed as fully ignited, but they also didn’t provide a lot of video to corroborate that, so it’s taking their word. I also saw some footage from a second source which seemed to indicate that the starship was actually tumbling through the air at that point, leaving a wake of unignited fuel, again while indicating fully functional engines.
To me that’s actually more concerning than the first launch, where it could have just been physical damage to the booster which lead to the failure to separate and the total loss. In this one two different sections failed in different ways, and diffently from the first.