The expansion of space continues to be a goal for nations as the world shifts its focus from this atmosphere to beyond. In the past few weeks, we have seen this in action, with Russia’s failed attempt to land on the Moon’s South Pole. Then days later, India found success where Russia had failed, becoming the first country to land on the South Pole of the Moon. And while the U.S. and China also continue to expand into space, another country is working to build their own space program despite the cries of neighboring countries’ fears.
North Korea attempted its second launch of a spy satellite in late August. The first launch was in May 2023, three months earlier. The first launch attempt failed and crash-landed into the sea—this second launch attempt, while more successful, still ended in failure. South Korea detected the launch of the rocket at around 03:50 local time and tracked its path through international airspace over the Yellow Sea between mainland China and the Korean peninsula. The unexpected launch attempt led to Japanese citizens taking cover as the rocket flew over islands near Okinawa. North Korea had told the Japanese Coast Guard the launch was expected the week of the launch.
According to state media, the rocket failed during the third stage of flight due to a stage separation failure. And while the missile ended in failure, the second success did show progress. It flew farther than the first attempt. Although the first attempt was described as the “gravest failure,” this past attempt gave North Korea confidence for future attempts.
The North Korean National Aerospace Development Administration announced another planned launch attempt for October. They are working to analyze the data from the failed launch attempt and believe that “the cause of the relevant accident is not a big issue in terms of the reliability of cascade engines and the system,” the Associated Press reported.
The failed launch attempt coincided with the annual military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea designed to show strength and stability as North Korea continues to show a changing dynamic. It also followed a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and U.S. President Joe Biden. At the summit, they discussed a three-way security agreement aimed at strengthening alliances to counter the refusal of the North Korean government to give up their work to build Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles technology and their space program.
Leaders continue to speak out against the launch and expansion of ICBM capabilities. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, “Behavior like this goes against the UN resolutions and we’re already firmly protesting.” While the U.S. urged North Korea to refrain from “further threatening activity.”
