Tongch'ang-dong Missile and Space Launch Facility
Pongdong-Ni / Tongchang-Ni
By Tim Brown
Senior Fellow
Globalsecurity.org
Comparison to the Musudan-ri Launch Site
The Tongch'ang-dong Missile and Space Launch Facility represents a significant expansion in North Korea’s rocket engine test and missile launch capability compared to the Musudan-ri launch site located on the northeast coast.
Musudan-ri has served as North Korea main facility for testing SCUD, No-Dong and Taepo-dong missiles since its establishment some time in the late 1970's or early 1980's. But, Musudan-ri has several limitations. It is located in a remote part of the northeast coast of the country. All materials, missile airframes support equipment, and personnel must be delivered by truck on a loose surface road that crosses a major rivers and steep mountain grades. This single loose-surface road is susceptible to seasonal flooding, and and is 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the town of Kilchu. There is a small wharf located at the fishing village of Tongha-dong but can only accommodate vessels smaller than 40 meters in length.
Tongch’ang-dong is about 15 kilometers (over 9 miles) south of the town of Ch’olsan that has a rail siding. The road from Ch’olsan to the Tongch’ang-dong test site is an all-weather graded road, which is more than adequate to provide logistics support to the test site.
Musudan-ri faces the Sea of Japan and is exposed to line-of-site observation from airborne, surface, and subsurface reconnaissance platforms such as airborne surveillance aircraft, surface combatants and submarines. Also, the first stage and second stage splash-down foot print are in the Sea of Japan and in international waters allowing undersea access to submarines such as the SSN Carter, which can launch deep sea remotely operating vehicles to analysis and retrieve the missile debris.12
If North Korea chooses to launch missiles and rockets on a southern azimuth, the first stage boosters would probably land in the relatively shallow water of the Yellow Sea, allowing the DPRK naval vessels the ability to recover the rocket stages and payload in future launches.
Hypothetical southern missile flyout corridor.
Credit: Globalsecurity.org and GoogleEarth.
Construction Sequence and Progress
Construction at the Tongch’ang-dong site began at least before September 2001, when ground scars were observed in Landsat imagery. Since then, it was apparent that North Korea was building a new facility. Quickbird imagery taken in 2006 revealed a missile launch site and rocket engine test stand were under construction. The latest imagery taken on June 3, 2009 reveals that Tongch’ang-dong is probably operational.
Construction sequence horizontal assembly building.
Credit: Globalsecurity.org and DigitalGlobe.
Construction sequence of the vertical assembly building and two unidentified support buildings.
Credit: Globalsecurity.org and DigitalGlobe
Construction sequence of the static rocket motor test stand.
Credit: Globalsecurity.org and DigitalGlobe.
12 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ssn-23.htm
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