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China-Japan-Koreas
Debris of Nork booster rocket pulled from ocean
2016-02-10
South Korea has released the first images of debris believed to be from a long-range rocket fired by North Korea on Sunday. The pieces were pulled from the sea southwest of Jeju Island shortly after Pyongyang announced it had successfully launched the earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong-4 into orbit. Recovered debris pieces were being analyzed, South Korea said.

Officials say the number of pieces indicate that the rocket's first-stage booster was fitted with a self-destruct device. An official with South Korea's Defense Ministry said that the booster "separated from [the rocket's] main body and exploded into about 270 pieces." There was no indication that any of the pieces came from the satellite.

Unlike the previous launch in December 2012, few large pieces were recovered.

On Monday, a senior U.S. defense official told CNN the satellite was "tumbling in orbit" and incapable of functioning in any useful way. South Korea also said the object appeared to be in orbit and that no signal had been received.

North Koreans celebrated the country's launch of a satellite into orbit with an official fireworks display Monday night in Pyongyang, state broadcaster KCTV reported.

"We hope that the future of our space technology keeps growing and shines like these fireworks in the sky," an announcer on the North Korean broadcaster said during coverage of the celebrations in the capital.

Yoon Dong Hyun, vice director of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces, struck a defiant note in a speech at the celebrations, vowing the country would continue developing its aerospace technology in the face of international sanctions. Efforts by other countries to block such an advance were "nothing more than a puppy barking towards the moon," he said.

A state TV newsreader said the operation had been personally ordered and directed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"The date of the launch appears to be in consideration of the weather condition and ahead of the Lunar New Year and the U.S. Super Bowl," said Jo Ho-young, chairman of the South Korean National Assembly Intelligence Committee.

Alison Evans, senior analyst for Asia-Pacific at IHS Country Risk, said that Pyongyang had likely calculated that by carrying out the rocket launch so soon after the January 6 nuclear test -- before the international community had responded to the latter with new sanctions -- it might face less severe repercussions than if the launch and test were responded to individually.

However, she said, there's not a lot more the international community can do to sanction Pyongyang.
I can think of a few things...
"There are some things that haven't yet been touched upon, like North Korean labor exported abroad, which brings in a lot of foreign currency for the North Korean government," she said. "But if anything, it would be China's implementation of existing sanctions that would tighten the screws on North Korea."
Posted by:Steve White

#5  Maybe they put the NORK Army Chief of Staff in orbit.

Pudge is always looking for and creative ways to do in dissenters on his team.
Posted by: Bill Clinton   2016-02-10 22:15  

#4  http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-satellite-orbit-idUSKCN0VI1XN

Tumbling stopped (they regained control) but no telemetry. Hard to see how ground controllers could have regained control without telemetry. Hmmm.

Gyros restart themselves to control reaction wheels? No global ground station network; Sputnik.
Posted by: Sven the pelter   2016-02-10 13:46  

#3  Efforts by other countries to block such an advance were "nothing more than a puppy barking towards the moon," he said.

Definitely NOT the KCNA Guy...
Posted by: Raj   2016-02-10 10:04  

#2  http://spacenews.com/north-korean-satellite-said-to-be-tumbling-in-orbit/

A North Korean satellite launched Saturday may be tumbling in orbit and inoperable.

While the U.S. Defense Department has made no public comment on the status of the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite launched by North Korea, a senior defense official said it appeared that the satellite was tumbling in orbit, and thus not able to carry out its Earth observation mission.

The official didn’t provide any additional details on the satellite’s condition, and North Korean officials continue to declare the launch a success
Posted by: 3dc   2016-02-10 07:35  

#1  Again, NOKOR's Rocket + Debris paths are all over or in areas where China wants to take over for its sphere of influence once it gets the US to pullout from East Asia + 1/2 of the Pacific [WestPac].

* ["GUAM WILL CAPSIZE" = PEARL HARBOR 1941 USN BB USS "OKLAHOMA" here].
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2016-02-10 01:30  

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