Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 facts for kids
Kwangmyongsong-2 as it would have looked in orbit in a 2009 computer graphic video
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| Mission type | Communication/Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | KCST |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | April 5, 2009, 02:20:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Unha-2 |
| Launch site | Tonghae |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 490 kilometres (300 mi) |
| Apogee | 1,426 kilometres (886 mi) |
| Inclination | 40.6 degrees |
| Period | 104.2 minutes |
| Epoch | Claimed |
Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 (meaning Bright Star-2 or Lode Star-2) was a satellite launched by North Korea on April 5, 2009.
Prior to the launch, concern was raised by other nations, particularly the United States, South Korea and Japan, that the launch would test technology that could be used in the future to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile. The launch of the rocket was sharply condemned by the United States and the European Union, while the People's Republic of China and Russia urged restraint.
On April 13, 2009, the United Nations Security Council issued a Presidential Statement condemning the launch as a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 (2006). One day after, on April 14, 2009, North Korea called the Presidential Statement an infringement on a country's right for space exploration embodied in the Outer Space Treaty and withdrew from Six Party Talks.
Etymology
The name "Kwangmyŏngsŏng" is richly symbolic for North Korean nationalism and the Kim family cult. Even though the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was born in the village of Vyatskoye near Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East, DPRK sources claim Kim was born on Mount Paektu, and on that day a bright lode star (kwangmyŏngsŏng) appeared in the sky, so everyone knew a new general had been born.
Pre-launch announcement
The launch was first publicly announced on February 24, 2009, when the Korean Central News Agency reported that they had been informed by the Korean Committee of Space Technology that preparations for a satellite launch were underway, and that the satellite would be launched from Musudan-ri in Hwadae. At about the same time, Kim Jong-il visited the province where the launch site is located, as he had immediately prior to the previous launch on July 4, 2006. In addition, on February 26, 2009, KCNA revealed that the KCST had a long-term plan of putting various types of satellites into orbit.
Notice NOTAM
On March 12 North Korea announced that it had signed the Outer Space Treaty and the Registration Convention. It also informed the ICAO and IMO that it would conduct a satellite launch between April 4 and 8, during a launch window running from 02:00 to 07:00 UTC.
It reported that the rocket's first stage was planned to fall about 650 kilometres (400 mi) east-north-east of South Korea's Donghae, the second stage would fall about 3,600 kilometres (2,200 mi) downrange, and the third stage would enter low Earth orbit with the satellite. North Korea designated the waters off Japan's Akita and Iwate prefectures as a risk zone for falling debris.
The Japanese government mistakenly announced that the KSCT fired a rocket on April 4, 2009, at about 12 pm. Tokyo time, sending nationwide emergency warnings, only to be retracted less than five minutes later, and announced the error was originated from the JSDF FPS-5 radar's faulty detection.
On April 5, 2009, North Korea announced that the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 satellite had been officially launched at 11:30:15 (0230 GMT plus 15 seconds); officials in South Korea, Russia and the United States reported that the rocket and its payload had fallen into the Pacific Ocean without having achieved orbit.
In August 2009, postage stamps commemorating the launch were brought into circulation. The souvenir sheet says "Launch of Artificial Satellite 'Kwangmyongsong No. 2' in the DPRK".
Images for kids
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Danger zones one and two reported to ICAO (approximate areas in red on left and right)
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The circle locates North Korea's Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground (Musudan-ri)
See also
In Spanish: Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 para niños
