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NORTH KOREA: Business as Usual in the Hermit Kingdom

It is uncertain when, or even if, the launch will take place, but some believe that if it does, the launch may take place on October 10 as part of a celebration of the 70 anniversary of the establishment of the Workers’ Party, the political party now in power.

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No signal reception has occurred seen beginning with the crude-looking 100-kg (220-pound) piece of most excellent metallic which the North said appeared to be placed along with video cameras to bring illustrations and communicate these items here we are at Pyongyang.

Still, the North later backtracked from its commitment and conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, drawing global condemnation and United Nations sanctions.

Ri Su Yong said Sunday the “hostile” sanctions were hurting North Korea’s economic development, and Pyongyang’s goals “will not be attained” under the restrictions, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

North Korea maintains that its space program is peaceful in nature, and that any attempt to stop it by other countries is considered as a direct attack to its sovereignty.

“We must no longer use political and military reasons as excuses for turning a blind eye to humanitarian issues, such as reunion of separated families in particular”, Park said.

Although the rocket was suitable to launch a satellite, it would make a poor vehicle to deliver weapons because launch preparations are hard to hide due to the time it takes to assemble the rocket, stand it up and fuel it.

The satellite was propelled by North Korea’s Unha-3, a home grown three-stage rocket based on 1950s Soviet Scud missile technology, with advanced fuel used in its final stage. Though the satellite launch was lauded as one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s greatest achievements, the orbit of the spacecraft has begun to decay, reports MSN News.

“It should be clear how important these capabilities are to the leadership because they are expensive and hard to acquire”, he said.

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“Preparations for the Unha-3, and whatever new space launch vehicle they might roll out, will be observable well in advance of a launch”, said Daniel Pinkston, a visiting fellow at Babes-Bolyai University in Romania.

North Korea's Space Program