Malligyong-1 facts for kids
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Chollima-1 rocket, carrying Malligyong-1, takes off from North Korea.
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| Mission type | Reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| Operator | NADA |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Dry mass | 300 kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 November 2023, 13:42 UTC |
| Rocket | Chŏllima 1 |
| Launch site | Sohae |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 493 kilometres (306 mi) |
| Apogee | 512 kilometres (318 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.4 degrees |
| Period | 94 minutes, 40 seconds |
Malligyong-1 (Hangul: 만리경-1; Hanja: 萬里鏡-1, meaning Telescope-1) is a satellite from North Korea. It's a special kind of satellite called a spy satellite. North Korea plans to use it to watch places in South Korea and America.
This satellite tried to launch two times before. Both times, it didn't work. But the third try, on November 21, 2023, was successful! It was also the first time North Korea's new rocket, the Chollima-1, flew successfully.
First Try: What Went Wrong?
The first launch happened on May 31, 2023. The rocket used was the Chŏllima 1. A part of the rocket, called the second stage, turned on too early. This made the mission fail.
Because of the launch, people in Seoul and Okinawa Prefecture got alerts to evacuate. This means they were told to find a safe place. North Korea quickly announced that the launch had failed.
Parts of the rocket fell into the Yellow Sea. South Korea tried to find and collect these parts. They searched about 200 kilometers (124 miles) off the coast. South Korea's military showed a picture of a white cylinder. They thought it was a piece of the rocket.
North Korea's space agency, NADA, said they would study what went wrong. They planned to try launching the satellite again. Many countries and groups, like the White House and the UN Secretary-General, said the launch was wrong. They said it broke rules that stop North Korea from using rocket technology that could be used for missiles.
Second Try: Another Failure
A second launch of the Malligyong-1 satellite happened on August 23, 2023. It was also on a Chollima-1 rocket. This launch failed too.
This time, the problem happened during the third part of the flight. There was an error in the system that stops the flight in an emergency. This caused the satellite to be lost again.
Third Try: A Successful Launch
The third launch was planned for October 2023. But it was moved to November. This was because they needed more time to fix the technical problems from the earlier failures.
The launch finally took place on November 21, 2023. A news agency in North Korea said the satellite was successfully put into its planned orbit. This meant the Chollima-1 rocket had its first successful flight.
However, other countries could not immediately confirm this. Officials from Japan and South Korea said they couldn't tell if a satellite was actually in orbit. North Korea's space agency, NADA, said that Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, watched the launch.
