Sohae
Coordinates: 39 ° 39 ′ 36.3 " N , 124 ° 42 ′ 19.1" E
Sohae ( Hangul : 동창 동 미사일 발 사장, Hanja : 平安 北 道 铁山 郡 的 西海 卫星 发射场, also known as Tongch'ang-dong rocket launch site , Pongdong-ri and Tongchang-ri ) is a rocket launch site in North Korea and is located 15 km south of Cholsan in the province of P'yŏngan-pukto about 50 km south of the Chinese border.
The launch site was only known from satellite images abroad since construction began in the 1990s. It was only when the North Korean authorities announced the launch of a satellite in March 2012 that the existence and name of the new launch site were also announced.
Until then, you only had the option of using satellite images to draw conclusions about the complex's facilities. At the beginning of April 2012, however, foreign journalists were given the opportunity to visit the launch center, whereupon some previous assumptions had to be revised.
From Sohae, take-offs in a southerly direction over the sea are possible without overflying inhabited areas or neighboring countries in the first phase. Burned-out rocket stages can fall into the sea. This enables satellite orbits with a high orbital inclination , as is customary for earth observation satellites .
The first launch from Sohae took place on April 12, 2012 (April 13, local time) with an Unha-3 rocket , which broke or exploded two minutes after launch at an altitude of about 70 km. The debris reached a peak height of about 151 km and fell into the sea between the People's Republic of China and South Korea . The next attempt at launch was successful when the Earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong 3-2 was launched on December 12, 2012 . The launch facilities were expanded in 2014 and 2015. Another Unha-3 launch took place on February 7, 2016.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sohae Satellite Launching Station (Tongchang-ri) 3D Panorama: New Launch Control Center (Interior). In: 38 North. December 6, 2016, accessed March 6, 2017 .
- ↑ North Korea's planned launch puts food aid on pause. CNN, March 16, 2012, accessed April 14, 2012 .
- ^ Inside Sohae Launch Facility. North Korea Tech, March 20, 2012, accessed April 14, 2012 (assumptions based on satellite images).
- ↑ James Oberg: Clues about North Korea's space plans come to light at last. msnbc, April 9, 2012, accessed April 14, 2012 .
- ^ Latest satellite images of Sohae launch facility. North Korea Tech, April 2012, accessed April 14, 2012 (updated version).
- ↑ N. Korea's rocket exploded mid-air: Seoul defense ministry. (No longer available online.) AsiaOne, April 13, 2012, archived from the original on May 14, 2014 ; accessed on April 14, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ North Korea provokes with rocket launch. Swiss television, December 12, 2012, accessed on December 12, 2012 .
- ↑ 38 North: North Korea: New Construction at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. May 28, 2015, accessed February 12, 2016 .
