North Korea's 5th satellite attempt-7th Feb 2016

[Kryten]

Are those satellite images? Some of the pics looks like it could have come from a spy drone. O_o

Those are probably from Digitalglobe's Worldview 3, which has 30cm ground resolution.

The 1st and 3rd images are satellite, however I questioned the 2nd one, looks to angled.

Modern commercial EO sats tend to have pretty good rapid-slew capability. I don't have these stats for Worldview 3, but the Pleiades sats that provide the Airbus-copyrighted images can do anything within a 800km swath.

Edited September 10, 2015 by Kryten

[xenomorph555]

Those are probably from Digitalglobe's Worldview 3, which has 30cm ground resolution.

Modern commercial EO sats tend to have pretty good rapid-slew capability. I don't have these stats for Worldview 3, but the Pleiades sats that provide the Airbus-copyrighted images can do anything within a 800km swath.

Oh that's pretty cool.

[xenomorph555]

-Update-

Today the director of NADA officially announced on behalf of the great hermit kingdom that they would indeed launch a satellite next month around the 10th. He also said they were in the final stages of prepping a satellite (guessing K-4) for launch.

Now what is interesting is that he claimed that the new satellite would be put in a GEO, if that's true then that is massively ambitious but it begs the question;

Are they using a bigger rocket?

How much does the satellite weigh?

So many questions...

[insert_name]

how would they get to geo without an equitorial launch site, seems unlikely

[Shpaget]

GEO usually stands for Geosynchronous Earth Orbit, not necessarily geostationary.

And even the geostationary is achievable from any latitude by inclination change.

[Kryten]

how would they get to geo without an equitorial launch site, seems unlikely

Same as anybody else, given there's no true equatorial launch site anywhere. Even Kourou is a full 4 degrees off.

[Randazzo]

Interesting expenditure of resources for a state facing an impending food shortage. Now they announce that they are restarting a nuclear fuel program (which I also doubt they can afford).

I suspect both are phony, and it's a play for concessions and aid.

[Streetwind]

GEO usually stands for Geosynchronous Earth Orbit, not necessarily geostationary.

And even the geostationary is achievable from any latitude by inclination change.

Geosynchronous orbit would be abbreviated GSO GEO is quite specifically geostationary.

[xenomorph555]

Interesting expenditure of resources for a state facing an impending food shortage. Now they announce that they are restarting a nuclear fuel program (which I also doubt they can afford).

I suspect both are phony, and it's a play for concessions and aid.

While the money issues are definitely a concern, these programs are about as real as they get, the hermits are quite well known for both rockets and nukes.

[Shpaget]

Geosynchronous orbit would be abbreviated GSO GEO is quite specifically geostationary.

You're right.

Anyway, the inclination change still applies.

[Randazzo]

While the money issues are definitely a concern, these programs are about as real as they get, the hermits are quite well known for both rockets and nukes.

Yes they have (or have had in the past) the capability but given the current situation, It just looks like saber-rattling to me.

Remind the world NK can launch rockets.

Remind the world NK can build bombs.

North Korea is setting itself up to be appeased through aid, as it has been trained to do.

[xenomorph555]

Yes they have (or have had in the past) the capability but given the current situation, It just looks like saber-rattling to me.

Remind the world NK can launch rockets.

Remind the world NK can build bombs.

North Korea is setting itself up to be appeased through aid, as it has been trained to do.

Guess we'll have to wait and see, in the mean time i'll be scanning sat pictures.

[jfleming104]

Anyhow, I cannot wait until Oct. 10. Rocket launches always excite me, and so do explosions. Even if NADA actually gets its satellite into orbit sans explosions, it will be good to see the Hermit Kingdom actually get something done involving rockets that does not, nor is meant not to explode. NADA and Kerbal have a lot in common.

[11of10]

Irony being that in serbian NADA (well, nada) means hope

In any case, good luck to those wacky kerb... nkoreans... hope it flies good! It's always good to have more people looking up in the sky, reaching for the stars

[xenomorph555]

-Small update-

Nothing much has happened since last update, no launch preparations have been taking place yet and things seem to be quite.

NADA has claimed though that the launch is going to be soon (in October) and that it won't actually be taking place on the 10th, most likely afterwards. They also hinted at how they aren't very organised, according to them they don't decide the exact date and time of launches until it's less then a month away, then again when you only launch at most once a year I guess you aren't as stressed to plan things like that out.

EDIT: Just remembered that it's actually impossible for them to launch on the 10th now due to them not starting preperations, my bet is 16th-24th.

Edited September 29, 2015 by xenomorph555

[Nibb31]

I call propaganda on the GEO claim. It's way too ambitious when they haven't even done a Sputnik yet. GEO is a higher step up the difficulty ladder, because it typically requires a durable restartable upper stage.

[xenomorph555]

I call propaganda on the GEO claim. It's way too ambitious when they haven't even done a Sputnik yet. GEO is a higher step up the difficulty ladder, because it typically requires a durable restartable upper stage.

Technically they did better then a Sputnik, although K3#2 never operated they managed to put it in an SSO. They have also demonstrated restart-able engines before.

However I do agree with you, I doubt they would do that just yet. Not even sure if the Unha is capable of it.

[GoSlash27]

Serious question:

How hard is it *really* to build a thermal vacuum testing chamber? I wouldn't think it'd be all that difficult to do, even for an amateur.

Is DPRK's problem really an inability to produce a proper R&D facility, or their inability to produce acceptable components?

Best,

-Slashy

[Streetwind]

The vacuum chamber is relatively straightforward. However, you start getting problems if you want to test engine systems in them, because the vacuum must be maintained while the engine is expelling searing-hot gas. That is the really hard part.

[xenomorph555]

The vacuum chamber is relatively straightforward. However, you start getting problems if you want to test engine systems in them, because the vacuum must be maintained while the engine is expelling searing-hot gas. That is the really hard part.

They don't need them for engines though, we were talking about a VC for satellite components. Small ones that just need to simulate space.

[Streetwind]

Yeah, I wasn't sure what GoSlash was asking about so I just covered both bases

[GoSlash27]

They don't need them for engines though, we were talking about a VC for satellite components. Small ones that just need to simulate space.

Yeah, this is what I was talking about. It seems to me that a vacuum chamber would be pretty easy to do. The hard part is making electronic components that will withstand the rigors of spaceflight.

Is anybody actually selling DPRK military- grade electronic components?

Best,

-Slashy

[xenomorph555]

Yeah, this is what I was talking about. It seems to me that a vacuum chamber would be pretty easy to do. The hard part is making electronic components that will withstand the rigors of spaceflight.

Is anybody actually selling DPRK military- grade electronic components?

Best,

-Slashy

No country would officially sell equipment to them due to sanctions minus a select few under secrecy. However they are quite capable in acquiring stuff through other means (middle man purchasing for example) and are capable of building some things themselves (although not much).

In conclusion their kind of an enigma.

[GoSlash27]

No country would officially sell equipment to them due to sanctions minus a select few under secrecy. However they are quite capable in acquiring stuff through other means (middle man purchasing for example) and are capable of building some things themselves (although not much).

In conclusion their kind of an enigma.

Well, see that's the thing...

I don't know that they are actually capable of building military grade electronic components.

Mass- producing even something as simple as an FPGA requires a very sophisticated infrastructure. Making something that will survive the rigors of spaceflight is even more so.

I don't know if DPRK has that capability.

Without that, they'd be reduced to using off- the- shelf through- hole analog tech and potting the bejeezus out of it. You can make something that will survive that way, but it's not going to be light or capable of any more than bare- bones operation. We're talkin' Redstone level sophistication.

But I don't know what their capabilities are. That's why I'm asking.

Best,

-Slashy

Edited September 30, 2015 by GoSlash27

[xenomorph555]

-Update-

The US, Japan and South Korea have claimed that satellite photos from Thursday 1st October show a cargo train leaving the Sanum Dong R&D factory (where the Unha's as well as some other advanced rockets are produced) on it's way to Sohae.

No photo was shown (as usual ) so it can't really be confirmed by us civilians, so for all we know it could be false/propaganda/etc. However if true it could mean that NK is going ahead with the plan. Have to wait, it will be confirmed true or false in a few days when the train arrives.