In a swift comeback after a failed attempt to launch a military spy satellite in May, Japanese media reported on Tuesday that North Korea had sent its second satellite into Earth orbit, signaling another push for its space ambitions. .
According to JEE News, North Korea notified the Japanese Coast Guard that it plans to launch a satellite sometime between August 24 and 31.
North Korea launched its first military spy satellite in May, but it failed to reach its destination as the rocket fell into the ocean minutes after liftoff.
The country, led by Kim Jong-un, said it developed the spy satellite as a necessary countermeasure to a growing US military presence in the region.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s state news agency condemned the “aggressive character” of the US-South Korean military drills that began on Monday.
KCNA warned in a commentary that if the drills included “nuclear provocations,” “the prospect of a thermonuclear war on the Korean peninsula will become more realistic.”
The United States, South Korea and Japan denounced North Korea’s satellite launch in May as a violation of United Nations resolutions banning the nuclear-armed state from using ballistic missile technology.
Analysts have said there is a significant technological overlap between intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and space launch capabilities.
Kim Jong-un has made the development of military spy satellites a top priority.
According to Yonhap, South Korea’s intelligence agency told lawmakers last week that Pyongyang could launch a spy satellite in late August or early September.
Yonhap reported that the launch is intended to take place before the government’s 75th anniversary on September 9.
The satellite crash in May sparked a complex, 36-day South Korean rescue operation involving a fleet of naval rescue ships, minesweepers and deep-sea divers.
The recovered parts of the rocket and satellite were analyzed by experts from South Korea and the United States.
The South Korean Defense Ministry later said that the satellite had no military utility.
