Kim Jong Un's Spy Satellite Ambitions Take A Nosedive — Second Launch Fails, Third Scheduled For October

Kim Jong Un‘s renewed attempt to launch a  North Korean spy satellite faced another setback as the second try turned out to be unsuccessful.

What Happened: The Malligyong-1 spy satellite, launched on the new Chollima-1 rocket, failed due to an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight. The event was confirmed by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Despite the failure, the North Korean space agency announced a third launch attempt in October. The agency downplayed the accident, stating it does not pose significant concerns regarding the reliability of cascade engines and the system, as per the KCNA report.

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Why It Matters: South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. have all responded to the launch. Adrienne Watson, the U.S. National Security Council spokesperson, mentioned that the Biden administration is evaluating the situation and will take necessary measures to ensure the security of the U.S. and its allies.

The first attempt to launch a spy satellite was made by North Korea in May, which ended abruptly due to the rocket crashing into the sea. This failure was seen as a significant setback to North Korea’s ambitions to establish a space-based surveillance system targeting the U.S. and South Korea.

Despite the initial failure, North Korea signaled readiness to launch another satellite three months later. The nation’s pursuit of space-based reconnaissance capabilities has been defended as a legitimate exercise of the country's sovereign right, especially by Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister.

Photo Via Shutterstock

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