North Korea has reportedly conducted a rocket engine test at the Sohae Satellite Launching Grounds, according to an analysis of satellite imagery by NK Pro. The analysis suggests that vegetation die-off observed under the vertical engine test stand between April 21 and April 26 was likely caused by intense heat and exposure to chemicals released during a prolonged engine burn.<\/p>\n
The satellite imagery from Planet Labs reveals a distinct vegetation die-off pattern beneath the test stand, indicating a potential rocket engine test. The die-off was visible in infrared and true-color high-resolution images captured between April 21 and April 28, while a medium-resolution image showed the die-off had already occurred by April 26.<\/p>\n
In November of last year, Pyongyang finally succeeded in placing its Malligyong-1 military reconnaissance satellite into orbit after a series of three attempts. Following this achievement, North Korea announced plans in December to launch three more military satellites into orbit throughout 2024.<\/p>\n
Each of the attempts made last year occurred approximately three months apart, suggesting a consistent timeline for future launches if no setbacks occur. Despite recent indications from ROK (Republic of Korea) military authorities suggesting a delay in a planned satellite launch, activity at the launch complex remains notably high.<\/p>\n
Noteworthy developments include ongoing construction around the launchpad, indicating continued preparations. The vertical engine test stand, historically utilized for liquid-fuel rocket engines akin to those used in long-range nuclear missiles and satellite carriers, remains active. Additionally, a new horizontal stand was built last year for solid-fuel engines and saw its most recent use in a test conducted in March.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recent satellite imagery analysis indicates North Korea conducted a rocket engine test at Sohae Satellite Launching Grounds, evidenced by vegetation die-off caused by intense heat and chemicals. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":367,"featured_media":15321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[561,9764],"class_list":["post-15320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-north-korea","tag-pyongyang","tag-sohae-satellite-launching-grounds"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/367"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}