North Korea tried to put a spy satellite into orbit for the third time in an hour,

North Korea launched a missile, presumably carrying a spy satellite, after two failed attempts. Kim Jong Un has not given up on the idea of ​​having his own satellite to monitor American troops.

The Bloomberg publication writes that the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea reported that a missile on which, according to North Korea, a military reconnaissance satellite was located, was launched on Tuesday in a southern direction. The missile was launched at approximately 22:43 from North Pyongan Province.

About two hours after launch, there were no signs that the rocket had broken up into pieces, which means that it is most likely in space, having flown further and longer than the previous two. Those missiles fell into the sea less than 15 minutes into the flight, which dealt a blow to Kim’s space ambitions.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has not yet confirmed whether the missile launched on Tuesday took out the satellite. Although officials in Seoul believe that the North Korean spy satellite will be rudimentary at best, it could help Pyongyang hone its targeting when deploying new missiles designed to launch nuclear strikes on South Korea and Japan, where the bulk of the American military contingent is based in the region.

The North Korean leader considers putting several spy satellites into orbit a priority and visited Russia in September to meet with President Vladimir Putin, who promised to help Pyongyang realize its space ambitions.

Japan issued a shelter-in-place warning for residents of the southern island of Okinawa, which was canceled after the missile appeared to have passed over Earth. Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that there were no reports of destruction and said that the launch was carried out in violation of UN resolutions.

Later, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that he “condemned the North Korean launch in the strongest possible manner.” He added that Japan will cooperate with the United States and South Korea in the fight against North Korea.

North Korea’s attempts to launch its satellite into orbit are known

North Korea’s first attempt this year to put a spy satellite into orbit was made on May 31, and the rocket failed a few minutes after launch when the second stage engine failed to fire. After that, South Korea caught a missile in the international waters of the Yellow Sea, which made it possible to get an idea of ​​the technologies that the DPRK has.

At the end of August, Pyongyang again tried to launch a spy satellite into orbit and failed, saying that this time there were problems with the third stage of the rocket. Parts of the rocket fell approximately 600 km east of the Philippines.

Earlier on Tuesday, Japan reported that it had received a notification about the possible fall of debris from the missile launch in the same areas where the second missile exploded.

Before the latest launch, North Korea had attempted to put a satellite into orbit seven times over the past 25 years. Five of them fell into the sea, and two launched objects into space, albeit in questionable working condition.

Putin can help North Korea change the situation by giving Kim the opportunity to use the space program, which is more than half a century old and has already proven its effectiveness. Russian technologies can be used to increase the monitoring capabilities of North Korean satellites and increase the power of missiles.

During a visit to Seoul in November, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that North Korea was sending ammunition to Russia for use in Putin’s attack on Ukraine. In return, Moscow provides technology and supports Kim’s military programs, he said.

For several months now, the USA has been accusing Kim of sending artillery shells and missiles that can work with Soviet-era weapons deployed by the Kremlin on the front line in Ukraine.

Pyongyang ignored previous warnings about the need to stop launching satellites, saying that in accordance with international law it has the right to a civilian space program.

Resolutions of the UN Security Council prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles. The United States and its partners warn that technologies obtained in the course of the DPRK’s space program can be used to improve its ballistic missiles, and warn that any assistance that Putin offers to Kim will violate measures approved by Russia.

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