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Malligyong-1-1

North Korea fired what it claimed was a "space launch vehicle" 30 May 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly witnessed the launch. An early analysis of the launch indicated the Malligyong-1 (meaning "Telescope-1") projectile disappeared from radar tracking before it reached its "expected drop point," South Korea media reported, adding that the Cheollima-1 launch was conducted out of the Tongchang-ri area. Citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korean media reported the projectile traveled over the Yellow Sea but did not affect Seoul city, despite earlier warnings being triggered for the metropolitan area.

There had been a narrative painted by local reports that North Korea was making decisions haphazardly, leading to premature satellite launches and technical setbacks. However, experts are suggesting a different scenario. They're saying North Korea only made the decision because they deemed they were fully prepared. By 29 May 2023, they were likely in a state of full readiness, having identified no issues with the missile or the space launch vehicle. Given the absence of structural and data-related problems, they would have seen no reason to postpone the launch.

North Korea had been putting on the finishing touches for this spy satellite launch, since April 2023 and, despite being a failure, doesn't necessarily indicate a rushed attempt. It could be perceived as a stepping stone toward a long-term goal of successfully placing a spy satellite in orbit. Some also suggest that the timing was North Korea's plan to throw South Korea off as North Korea's high-ranking military official, Ri Pyong-chol, said that North Korea would launch the spy satellite into space sometime during June. Did Ri Pyong-chol not know that they're going to launch a rocket today? Possibly he said that they're going to fire one in June? Some thought there was a possibility that they were trying to throw South Korea into confusion.

North Korea's state-led Korean Central News Agency said there'll be another attempt in the near future. But exactly when.. is hard to speculate. An official from South Korea's presidential office told Yonhap News Agency that the next launch may happen before June 11th, aligning with the timeline North Korea previously shared. Some experts begged to differ---and think it may take months to rectify the problem and attempt another launch.

North Korea said its leader Kim Jong Un inspected the country's first spy satellite ahead of its launch. The 17 May 2023 edition of the ruling Worker's Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said that Kim inspected the country's No.1 military reconnaissance satellite, which is ready for loading after undergoing the final assembly check and space environment test. The paper also said Kim approved the next step of the action plan for the spy satellite. The plan was reportedly made by the Satellite Launch Preparatory Committee. But the article did not touch on specific schedules.

Kim is shown in a photograph clad in a white coat looking at what appears to be the spy satellite. He is accompanied by his daughter. The paper quoted Kim as saying that as the United States and South Korea escalate their confrontational moves against North Korea, the country would more squarely and offensively exercise its sovereignty and the right to self-defense.

The Rodong Sinmum press release from May 17, 2023, regarding technical preparations for the DPRK's first launch of a spy satellite, stated "Respected Comrade Kim Jong-un guided the work of the Reconnaissance Satellite Launch Preparation Committee on the spot. While the struggle to strengthen self-defensive defense capability to achieve the five key goals for national defense development presented by the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea is being vigorously developed, The Non-Standard Satellite Launch Preparation Committee for the launch of Military Reconnaissance Satellite Unit 1, which includes scientists and technicians, is vigorously promoting its business in the solidarity stage.

"Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, guided the work of the Non-Standard Satellite Launch Preparation Committee on-site on May 16. The respected comrade Kim Jong-un was greeted by key officials of the Ministry of Munitions Industry and the Ministry of Science and Education of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, as well as members of the Space Development Bureau and the Emergency Satellite Launch Preparation Committee.

"Respected Comrade Kim Jong-un studied the business conditions of the Non-Standard Satellite Launch Preparation Committee in detail and looked around the military reconnaissance satellite No. 1. Respected Comrade Kim Jong-un highly appreciated the fact that the Non-Standard Satellite Launch Preparation Committee is fulfilling its duties and roles responsibly in the process of carrying out an important project to dramatically increase the country's military technology.

"Respected Comrade Kim Jong-un said, “The successful launch of a military reconnaissance satellite is an urgent request starting from the established national security environment, an accurate implementation process of the DPRK government’s top priority policy of strengthening national defense, and at the same time, the country’s space military and science and technology Saying that it is a clear step forward in development, he specifically clarified the strategic goals to be continuously achieved in the field of space research.

"Dear Comrade Kim Jong-un, while emphasizing again and again the strategic nature of possessing military reconnaissance satellites, the more heinous the anti-DPRK confrontation maneuvers of the US imperialists and the south Korean puppet villains become, the more our sovereignty and self-defense right to thoroughly suppress them and defend the country. He said it would be exercised more confidently and more aggressively. Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un approved the future action plan of the Non-Standard Satellite Launch Preparation Committee."

On 16 May 2023 a US-based research group said that a large crane had been built near the launch pad at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in North Korea's northwest. The group suggests that repair work may be underway. United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from launching objects using ballistic missile technology. But the country reiterated its intention to launch a long-range ballistic missile under the pretext of putting a satellite into orbit. The launch would be the first since February 2016, in violation of the UN resolutions.

North Korea's state media KCNA, citing high-ranking military official Ri Pyong-chol, reported 30 May 2023 that the regime was planning to launch a military spy satellite as soon as June. This was the first time that the North had revealed any sort of timeline for the satellite launch. According to the report, Ri ---the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party --said the military reconnaissance satellite would be launched to track, monitor, and determine in real-time the military actions of Washington and its allies. He also took time to point at the latest joint live-fire exercises by Seoul and Washington, which are set to continue through mid-June.

The news of the imminent spy satellite launch drew contrasting responses from world powers. The U.S. State Department denounced North Korea's threats, warning that the regime would be held accountable for its actions. It says an actual launch using long-range ballistic missile technology is a violation of the UN Security Council's resolutions. South Korea also says the spy satellite launch would be a breach of resolutions, and that it is working closely with U.S. intelligence authorities for any acts of provocation from Pyongyang. "South Korea and the U.S. intelligence authorities are in close cooperation in monitoring related movements and a possible provocation by North Korea using the so-called satellite."

Japan, which was first to hear the news from North Korea, stressed that the plan threatens Tokyo's security, and warned of corresponding actions like interception if the satellite invades Japanese territory, waters, or airspace. "North Korea launching a ballistic missile purporting to be a satellite is a serious provocation to our country's security." The Japanese government said North Korea had notified Japan's Coast Guard of its plan to launch what it calls an artificial satellite sometime between May 31 and June 11. Japan's government suspected that Pyongyang plans to launch a ballistic missile under the pretext of putting a satellite into orbit.

The Japanese government called it a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that ban North Korea from conducting any launches using ballistic missile technology, and urged Pyongyang to exercise self-restraint. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has instructed relevant ministries and agencies to gather and analyze intelligence. He said Japan would work closely with the United States and South Korea, and strongly urge Pyongyang not to carry out the launch. Kishida has told government agencies to take all possible measures to prepare for any eventuality. He told reporters that although Pyongyang claims it is planning to send a satellite up, any launch using ballistic missile technology violates UN Security Council resolutions. He said it is a grave issue concerning the safety of people in Japan.

Meanwhile, North Korea's biggest ally China reiterated its previous stance on the importance of carrying out meaningful and balanced conversations. "The situation on the Korean Peninsula has come to where it is for a reason. We hope that all parties concerned would face the issue head-on, stick to the direction of a political settlement, and address their legitimate concerns in a balanced manner through meaningful dialogue." China, however, did not respond to whether the satellite launch is a violation of the UN Security Council's resolutions.

In a statement published in the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Ri Pyong Chol, the vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Korean Workers' Party, said the satellite would counter various activities by United States and South Korean forces, including a plan to deploy an American nuclear submarine to South Korean waters for the first time in 40 years. The satellite would be “indispensable to tracking, monitoring, discriminating, controlling and coping with in advance [or] in real time, the dangerous military acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces, openly revealing their reckless ambition for aggression as time passes by, and strengthening the military preparedness of the armed forces of the DPRK,” Ri wrote, using a acronym for the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Experts doubted how useful a spy satellite would be for North Korea. “I think the DPRK track record in space is a little too patchy to develop a cohesive narrative, or to tell if this new satellite is more than ‘normal’ incremental progress,” said Benjamin Silverstein, an analyst for the Carnegie Space Project at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, speaking before the launch occurred. “So far, they have only demonstrated the ability to put small payloads in low Earth orbit".

A singule satellite in a low-Earth orbit would not be very effective, Markus Schiller, Founder and Director of ST Analytics GmbH in Munich, told RFA. “One ground station would be enough to receive data, however, only when the satellite is in direct sight of the ground station, which - depending on the exact orbit - could be just a few minutes every week, thus limiting the amount of data that could be downloaded as well as its up-to-dateness,” said Schiller.

Though analysts have said that the satellite North Korea was planning to launch was no better than commercial imagery satellites, it would still have been useful to Pyongyang, said Jacob Bogle, curator of the AccessDPRK.com website, which analyzes satellite imagery of North Korea. “Even attaining the same image resolution as commercial satellite companies use would provide North Korea with a substantial boost in their surveillance and intelligence gathering capabilities,” he said.

One motivation is the North's competitive spirit against the South. North Korea desperately wants to be ahead of South Korea when it comes to satellite launch capability and South Korea just put a seven satellites in into orbit on 25 May 2023. But at the core of Pyongyang's planning is the military component.

North Korea had previously notified the IMO, or the International Maritime Organization, that it would launch a spy satellite between May 31st and June 11th. Seoul's presidential office and the country's defense minister have said there is a possibility that the next launch could be conducted before June 11th. So it seemed likely that the North would carry out another one within a few days.

The North Korean National Aerospace Agency intends to investigate the cause of the failure of the emergency system and will try again to put the satellite into orbit in October. With a high degree of probability, the start is scheduled for October 10 and will be timed to coincide with the founding day of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in the DPRK.

The wreckage of the Chollima Type 1 space launch vehicle launched by North Korea using ballistic missile technology was recovered 15 days after it fell into the West Sea. According to a military source on 26 June 2023, the Navy rescued an object that appeared to be a satellite 'Malligyeong-1' mounted on a space launch vehicle 'Chollima Type 1' launched by North Korea. If this object is the satellite and is relatively intact, it seems that the level of North Korea's reconnaissance satellite technology can be identified in detail. South Korea retrieved a North Korean spy satellite wreckage and concluded it has "no military utility," Seoul's military said 05 July 2023, ending a 36-day operation to salvage the sunken debris from a failed North Korean space rocket launch in late May.