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Booster Rocket Not Working, North Korea’s Spy Satellite Fails to Orbit. PHOTO/Reuters
SEOUL – Satellite launch North Korea (North Korea) today ended in failure, after the second stage rocket does not work. The failure caused the booster rocket and payload to fall into the sea, North Korea’s state media KCNA said.
“The new “Chollima-1″ satellite launch rocket failed due to instability in the engine and fuel system,” said the KCNA report Wednesday (31/5/2023).
The flight was the nuclear-armed nation’s sixth attempted satellite launch, and its first since 2016. The launch was supposed to put North Korea’s first spy satellite in orbit.
This prompted emergency warnings and short evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan. Notice withdrawn with no harm or damage reported.
North Korea said it would launch its first military reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11 to enhance monitoring of US military activity.
In data provided to international authorities, North Korea said the launch would send the rocket south, with stages and other debris expected to fall over the Yellow Sea and into the Pacific Ocean.
Air raid sirens wailed over the South Korean capital, Seoul at around 06:32 local time (Tuesday 2132 GMT), as the city warned residents to prepare for possible evacuations. Later warnings said the city’s warning was a mistake.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government issued an emergency alert on the J-Alert broadcasting system for residents of Okinawa’s southern prefecture to take shelter indoors early this morning. It was later said the rocket would not fly over Japanese territory and lifted the warning.
(esn)