Democratic People's Republic of Korea Prepares
Rocket/Missile Launch
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North Korea technicians watch live images of the rocket Unha-3 at the satellite
control room of the space center on the outskirts of Pyongyang on April 11,
2012. North Korea said that the fuelling of a long-range rocket is under
way, ahead of the launch scheduled for later this week despite international
protests.'We are injecting fuel as we speak. It has started' Paek Chang-Ho,
director of the satellite control centre told visiting foreign journalists.
North Korea is counting down to the 100th anniversary of its founder's birth
Kim Il-Sung on April 15 with top-level meetings and a controversial rocket
launch scheduled in coming days to bolster his grandson's credentials. Getty |
A North Korean man looks down from a balcony at North Korea's space agency's
General Launch Command Center on the outskirts of Pyongyang Wednesday, April
11, 2012. Engineers are pumping fuel into a rocket that is set to carry a
satellite into space, officials at the North Korean space agency's central
command center said Wednesday, showing reporters a live feed of the west
coast launch pad. (David Guttenfelder) |
North Korea technicians work at the satellite control room of the space center
on the outskirts of Pyongyang on April 11, 2012. North Korea said that the
fuelling of a long-range rocket is under way, ahead of the launch scheduled
for later this week despite international protests.'We are injecting fuel
as we speak. It has started' Paek Chang-Ho, director of the satellite control
centre told visiting foreign journalists. North Korea is counting down to
the 100th anniversary of its founder's birth Kim Il-Sung on April 15 with
top-level meetings and a controversial rocket launch scheduled in coming
days to bolster his grandson's credentials. Getty
[Note the center earth monitor appears to show a space craft trajectory passing
over western North America, capable of surveilling the US's satellite launch
facility at Vandenberg AFB, NORAD and Spacecom.]
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A North Korean scientist looks at a monitor displaying a map at the satellite
control centre of the Korean Committee of Space Technology on the outskirts
of Pyongyang April 11, 2012. North Korea said on Wednesday it was injecting
fuel into a long-range rocket ahead of a launch condemned by its neighbours
and the West. The launch is set to take place between Thursday and next Monday
and has prompted neighbours such as the Philippines to re-route their air
traffic. Reuters |
This April 6, 2012 satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe shows the
Tongch'ang-ni Launch Facility on North Korea's northwest coast. North Korean
space officials say the rocket built to carry a satellite into space is ready
for liftoff from the facility this week, as the nation's leadership makes
a series of appointments before a major political gathering. (DigitalGlobe)
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A nuclear test site near Punggye-ri in North Korea is pictured in this
DigitalGlobe handout satellite photo taken April 1, 2012, and obtained by
Reuters April 10, 2012. Isolated and impoverished North Korea said on April
10, 2012 it was ready to go ahead with its proposed long-range rocket launch,
an announcement that sparked immediate condemnation from South Korea and
Russia and a plea from China, its main ally, for calm. Reuters |
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Satellite photos from maps.google.com:
http://g.co/maps/duqzb
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A North Korean cameraman films a map with the site of launch pad of the rocket
Unah-3 at the Tongchang-ri space center on April 8, 2012. North Korea's
long-range rocket is on its launch platform, AFP reporters said Sunday, as
the regime again insisted it was to send a peaceful satellite and not a missile.
The usually secretive North organised an unprecedented visit for foreign
reporters to Tongchang-ri space centre in an effort to show its Unha-3 rocket
is not a disguised ballistic missile, as claimed by the US and its allies.
Getty |
North Korean officials and foreign journalists leave the launch pad after
a visit to see the rocket Unha-3 in Tangachai -ri space center on April 8,
2012. North Korea has confirmed their intentions to launch the rocket next
week despite international condemnations. Getty |
The North Korean Unha-3 rocket is pictured at Tangachai -ri space center
on April 8, 2012. North Korea has confirmed their intention to launch the
rocket next week despite international condemnations. Getty |
North Korean soldiers stand guard in front of the Unha-3 rocket at Tangachai
-ri space center on April 8, 2012. North Korea has confirmed their intention
to launch the rocket next week despite international condemnations. Getty |
Engineers are seen checking the Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket sitting on a
launch pad at the West Sea Satellite Launch Site, during a guided media tour
by North Korean authorities in the northwest of Pyongyang April 8, 2012.
North Korea has readied a rocket for a launch from a forested valley in its
remote northwest this week that will showcase the reclusive state's ability
to fire a missile with the capacity to hit the continental United States.
Picture taken April 8, 2012. Getty |
The North Korean rocket Unha-3 rocket is pictured at the Tongchang-ri space
center on April 8, 2012. North Korea's long-range rocket is on its launch
platform, AFP reporters said Sunday, as the regime again insisted it was
to send a peaceful satellite and not a missile. The usually secretive North
organised an unprecedented visit for foreign reporters to Tongchang-ri space
centre in an effort to show its Unha-3 rocket is not a disguised ballistic
missile, as claimed by the US and its allies. Getty |
Scientists are seen monitoring the Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket in a control
room at the West Sea Satellite Launch Site during a guided media tour by
North Korean authorities in the northwest of Pyongyang April 8, 2012. North
Korea has readied a rocket for a launch from a forested valley in its remote
northwest this week that will showcase the reclusive state's ability to fire
a missile with the capacity to hit the continental United States. The Korean
characters on the banner read "Let us occupy the high target of building
a powerful nation by relying on the strength of science and technology!"
Picture taken April 8, 2012. Reuters |
Scientists are seen monitoring the Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket in a control
room at the West Sea Satellite Launch Site during a guided media tour by
North Korean authorities in the northwest of Pyongyang April 8, 2012. North
Korea has readied a rocket for a launch from a forested valley in its remote
northwest this week that will showcase the reclusive state's ability to fire
a missile with the capacity to hit the continental United States. Picture
taken April 8, 2012. Reuters |
Mobile Patriot missile launchers, center, are set up at a Japan Air Self-Defense
Force base on Miyakojima island in Okinawa Prefecture, southwestern Japan,
Monday, April 9, 2012 in preparation for North Korea's rocket launch slated
between April 12 and 16. North Korean space officials moved all three stages
of a long-range rocket into position for a controversial launch, vowing to
push ahead with their plan in defiance of international warnings against
violating a ban on missile activity. |
U.S. Navy's guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) sails in the East China
Sea, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) northeast of Miyakojima island in Okinawa
Prefecture, southwestern Japan, Monday, April 9, 2012. North Korean space
officials moved all three stages of a long-range rocket into position for
a controversial launch slated between April 12 and 16 towards south over
the East China Sea and the Pacific. (Kyodo News) |
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