North Korea moves closer to launching its first reconnaissance satellite

Launched in 1980, the North Korean space program has encountered many difficulties over the years. The first launch took place in 1998, and was based on the Taepodong-1 launcher, a rocket 25 meters long with a take-off weight of 33 tons, supposed to be able to put a one-ton satellite into orbit in a low orbit. at an altitude of 2500 km. Based on technology developed for the Rodong-1 intermediate-range ballistic missile, the launch was aborted after the rocket's third stage reportedly caught fire after flying 1600 km. The second test took place in 2006, with a new launcher of 30 meters and 90 tons called Unha-1 and derived from the ballistic missile Taepodong-2, but the latter exploded only 45 seconds after takeoff.

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