National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA)
The National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) was founded on April 1, Juche 102 (2013). NADA is the national aerospace development guidance organ which maps out space development plans and supervises and controls their implementation in a unified way. KCNA reported "It has proudly exercised the DPRK's legitimate right to develop space for the past decade and conducted the space conquer activities in the forefront of building a space power. It has grown into a prestigious organ representing the state in the field of space development. It is a product of the noble loyalty, ardent patriotic desire and will of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un to add eternal shine to the exploits of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il for building a space power and demonstrate the dignity of the country and nation before the whole world.
"The prestigious and proud history of development of the NADA can be unthinkable without the leadership of the respected General Secretary who made his tireless efforts and painstaking devotion to realize the great dream and ambition of the DPRK to build a space power. The DPRK, which had proudly emerged a satellite manufacturer and launcher through the successful launches of test satellites in 1998 and 2009, succeeded in putting the first practical satellite onto orbit on December 12, 2012 on the basis of the accumulated technology and experience. At that time, the advance into space was intensified in the world and its structure diversified.
"With a deep insight into the requirements of socialist construction and the trend of the times, the respected General Secretary Kim Jong Un initiated the establishment of a powerful state guidance organ to put the development of outer space of the country on a new higher stage and has wisely led the work for its realization.
"The Law of the DPRK on Space Development was promulgated and a decision on establishing the National Aerospace Development Administration was adopted at the Seventh Session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly on April 1, 2013. After organizing the NADA, the General Secretary initiated the construction of the satellite control center, personally chose its site and solved all problems arising in the construction, thus making sure that the construction was completed in a short span of time.
"Saying that the NADA has a very important duty to realize the plan of the Workers' Party of Korea for building a space power, he indicated the orientation and ways for dynamically pushing ahead with the space science research and satellite launch. In January, 2016 when space scientists were stepping up the preparations for the launch of the second practical satellite, he visited the Satellite Control Center of the NADA again and clearly indicated once again the purpose, significance and importance of satellite launch, saying that it is not a merely scientific and technological work but the very important and responsible work to be conducted for the dignity of the country and nation before the world.
"On February 7, 2016, Kim Jong Un personally visited the launching site of the earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong-4 and guided the whole process of the launch and led it to complete success. At the Seventh Congress of the WPK, he set forth the important tasks for further developing space science and technology and thus manufacturing and launching more practical satellites, the aggregate and essence of ultra-modern technology. In particular, he set it as the immediate goal of space development to put the geostationary satellite into space in the near future and made sure that the development of a new-type geostationary satellite carrier rocket was conducted in a positive way.
"He, who guided in September 2016 the ground jet test of a high-power engine for the geo-stationary satellite carrier rocket for the first time in the DPRK, highly praised the scientists and technicians for devotedly carrying out in a short span of time the task given by the Party. While inspecting the NADA in March 2022, he set forth the development of a reconnaissance satellite as the top political and military prior task and the supreme revolutionary task of the Party and the government, and clarified the issues for laying a solid material and technical foundation of the field of space scientific research.
"In the arduous struggle to explore and conquer outer space in our own way, he instilled wisdom, strength and courage into the minds of the space developers, always finding himself among them. Thanks to his energetic and meticulous leadership, a well-regulated guidance and management system for the country's space development was established, all the work for the exploration and use of outer space could be conducted in a unified and far-sighted way, and great successes were registered in the work to design and make practical satellite and develop the satellite control equipment and in other space development work.
"Today the NADA is recording great achievements in the efforts to make a multi-functional and highly efficient satellite and boost its reliability. Lots of scientific and technological problems arising in the satellite control and operation have been solved, and the work to introduce the application technology into the economic construction, the improvement of the people's standard of living and the building up of the country's defence capacity has been stepped up.
"The NADA is strengthening the international trust and cooperation in the space science field, strictly observing the international outer space treaty, agreements and conventions. The officials and space scientists of the NADA, who have turned out in the work to carry out this year's task of the new five-year plan for the national aerospace development with great confidence and courage, are pressing ahead with the preparations for launching and operating new practical satellites of various purposes by their own efforts and technology. Efforts are also made to apply the space scientific and technological successes to agriculture, fishery, weather observation, disaster monitoring, resources prospecting and the development of communication system of our own style."
Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, inspected the National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) on 18 April 2023. He was accompanied by Pak Thae Song, secretary of the WPK Central Committee, Kim Jong Sik, vice department director of the WPK Central Committee, Kim Sung Chan, president of Kim Il Sung University and minister of Higher Education under the Education Commission, Pak Ji Min, president of Kim Chaek University of Technology, senior officials of educational and scientific research institutions, technicians and experts in the field of IT communication sci-tech studies and commanding officers of the technical intelligence department of the General Reconnaissance Bureau of the Korean People's Army.
KCNA reported "He was greeted by leading officials of the NADA and the Academy of Defence Science on the spot. Going round the space science research institute, the space environment test center and other places, he learned in detail about the work for fulfilling the immediate scientific research tasks set forth by the Party's far-reaching space-conquering policy on the long-term development of the country's space industry, and about the recent progress achieved by the field of space science research in the development of core technologies and production.
"The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un highly praised the noteworthy achievements made by the NADA in the core space sci-tech studies to attain the immediate and long-term objectives of the space policy set forth at the 8th Congress of the WPK, the 5th and 6th Plenary Meetings of the 8th WPK Central Committee. Noting that the development of space industry is of very important significance in building a socialist economic power whose development is propelled and guaranteed by science and technology, he set forth the important tasks to be fulfilled to radically develop space science and technology.
"The growth of the space industry is a key element in the exploration of a shortcut to securing the position of a world-class economic and sci-tech power and a demonstration of the overall national power, he said, adding that it is necessary to build a full-fledged space industry capable of dynamically steering the economic development of the country by constantly spurring the independent space development.
"He noted that it is the steadfast stand of the WPK and the DPRK government to fulfill on a priority basis the advanced and valuable space development plans in the light of the strategic interests of the country in the present-stage efforts for achieving accelerated space development, steadily expand the successes and finally turn the country into a world space power.
"He underscored the need to set it as a main thrust to possess weather and earth observation and communication satellites, in particular, to get thoroughly prepared for the disastrous weather, effectively protect and use the resources of the country, and immediately provide the possibilities for giving strong impetus to the scientific development of the national economy.
"He also called on the educational and scientific research units at all levels to establish a system of actively participating in the development of application satellites of various uses, increase state investment for promoting the development of space science and technology, produce standardized and reliable carrier rockets on a full scale in step with the accelerated development of various satellites, and successfully build satellite launching sites reflecting the ideal and ambition for building a space power.
"He recalled that in the light of the present situation, in which the U.S. imperialists are deploying nuclear carriers, nuclear strategic bombers and other huge strategic assets of various missions on a permanent basis on the Korean peninsula and its vicinity to turn south Korea into an advanced base for aggression and an arsenal for war, and of the prospective concern that the military actions of the U.S. and south Korea threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DPRK under the pretext of the allied readiness would get more undisguised, the Eighth Congress of the WPK specified it as the most important and prerequisite task for building up the national defence capabilities of the country to have access to the space reconnaissance capability for securing real-time information about the hostile forces' military scenario and moves in the five-point major goals for developing the national defence capabilities.
"Again referring to the role and the strategic value and significance of possessing the military reconnaissance satellite in bolstering up the self-defensive military capabilities for defending the security environment and territorial integrity of the state, the safety and development interests of the people from the escalating military threat and challenge of the U.S. and south Korea, and for using the preemptive military power according to situation, he said that possession of such satellite is a primary task to be indispensably fulfilled to bolster up the armed forces of the DPRK that can never be abandoned, missed and changed, and belongs to its sovereignty and legitimate right to self-defence in view of the requirements of the recent security environment on the Korean peninsula and tackling of the long-term threats.
"As the U.S. and south Korea are scheming to further tighten their military posture against the DPRK under the pretext of "offer of extended deterrence" and "strengthened south Korea-U.S. alliance", as evidenced by their most hostile rhetoric and explicit action this year, it is quite natural for the DPRK to develop its military deterrence strong enough to cope with the serious security environment at present and in the future, he said, adding that possessing and operating military reconnaissance means is the most crucial primary task for increasing the military effectiveness and utility of different war deterrence means of the DPRK in doing so.
"He set forth the militant task to organize a non-permanent satellite-launching preparatory committee to make sure that the military reconnaissance satellite No. 1 completed as of April will be launched at the planned date, speed up its final preparations and firmly establish the satellite intelligence-gathering capability by deploying several reconnaissance satellites on different orbits in succession in the future.
"Upon receiving the deep trust and encouragement of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, the officials, scientists and technicians of the NADA were filled with a firm determination to become conquerors of space faithfully upholding the Party's far-reaching plan for building a space power through their perfect practice and thus proudly demonstrate the dignity and prestige of the DPRK and the great national power of Juche Korea in the outer space."
