North Korea completes test of spy satellite

North Korea has completed an “important, final phase” test in the development of a spy satellite which it seeks to complete by April 2023.

North Korea’s state media KCNA said on Monday that Pyongyang’s National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) conducted the test on Sunday at its Sohae satellite launching station in the northwest.

The report was released a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries reported the isolated North’s launch of two intermediate-range ballistic missiles towards its east coast.

KCNA said a vehicle carrying a mock satellite, which also included multiple cameras, image transmitters and receivers, a control device and a storage battery, was fired at the “lofted angle” of 500 km (311 miles).

“We confirmed important technical indicators such as camera operating technology in the space environment, data processing and transmission ability of the communication devices, tracking and control accuracy of the ground control system,” a NADA spokesperson said in the KCNA dispatch.

According to the KCNA, the test was designed to review its capability of satellite imaging, data transmission and ground control systems.

The spokesperson called the test a “final gateway process of launching a reconnaissance satellite” which will be completed by April.

KCNA also released two black-and-white, low-resolution images of the South Korean capital Seoul and the nearby port city of Incheon, which it said were taken during Sunday’s launch.

Pyongyang has tested satellite systems during several rocket launches, and leader Kim Jong Un has said its pursuit of a spy satellite is meant to provide real-time information on military actions by the United States and its allies.

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South Korea’s presidential office strongly condemned the North’s latest launch, saying its continued provocations and nuclear and missile development would only endanger its own regime.

North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) designed to reach the U.S. mainland, in defiance of international sanctions.

Reuters/Zainab Sa’id