Unha

Unha

Unha-3 at launch pad in April 2012
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	Template:Cvt (465 x 502 km)
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Template:Infobox Korean name/auto The Unha (Korean: ; lit. 'Galaxy') is a North Korean expendable carrier rocket, which partially utilizes the same delivery system as the Taepodong-2 orbital launch system.

Description

File:Korean Space Launch Vehicle (14960813630).jpg

Model of a Unha-3 rocket on display at the Three Revolutions Exhibition Hall

The Unha's first stage consists of four clustered Nodong motors, which themselves are enlarged Scud motors. The second stage was initially thought to be based on the SS-N-6, although it, too, is now believed to be based on Scud technology. The third and last stage might be identical to the Iranian Safir's second stage which is propelled by two small gimballed motors.

Recent satellite images of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station showing an enlarged launch tower under construction have prompted online speculation that an enlarged version, called "Unha-X", might be under development.

History

First space launch attempt of North Korea

Template:Further information North Korea's first orbital space launch attempt occurred on 31 August 1998, and was unsuccessful. This launch attempt was performed by a Paektusan-1 rocket, which used a Hwasong-7-based first stage, a Hwasong-6-based second stage and a solid-fueled third stage. The Paektusan-1 was estimated to be about 24 metres (79 ft) long, have a mass of about Template:Cvt and a first stage diameter of 1.25 m (4.1 ft).

Launch history of Unha

First launch attempt

On 24 February 2009, North Korea announced the plan to launch the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 satellite onboard the Unha-2 launch vehicle. Later, North Korea confirmed that the launch would take place between 4–8 April 2009. However, before the launch, several countries, including South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, voiced concerns that the launch would violate United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 which prohibits North Korea from testing ballistic missiles. Russia also announced they urged North Korea to refrain from its planned rocket launch.

On 5 April 2009, the Unha-2 rocket was launched at around 02:30 a.m. UTC (11:30 a.m. local time) from the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground (also known as Musudan-ri). The U.S. Northern Command said that the first stage of the rocket fell into the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea), while the other rocket stages as well as the payload fell into the Pacific Ocean, and no object entered orbit. Later analysis indicated the rocket impacted 3,850 km (2,390 mi) from the launch site, and that the second stage operated normally but the rocket's third stage failed to separate properly. North Korea maintains that the rocket successfully put its payload in orbit.

Second launch attempt

On 13 April 2012, North Korea launched the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 satellite onboard an Unha-3 rocket from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, but it ended in failure.

Third launch attempt

After the failure of the April 2012 launch, North Korea announced that the launch of the second version of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 satellite would occur between 10 and 22 December 2012. Later, the launch window was extended to 29 December 2012, as the Unha-3 launch vehicle suffered a "technical deficiency". The launch took place at 00:49 a.m. UTC, 12 December 2012, as an Unha-3 rocket was launched from Sohae. The Japanese government believed the rocket separated into three parts, landed in the sea off the Korean Peninsula, the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea, respectively. North Korea claimed that the satellite successfully entered orbit, while according to North American Aerospace Defense Command, the rocket deployed an object that appears to have achieved orbit.

After the launch, South Korean military retrieved debris from the launch vehicle, and confirmed that the militarized version of Unha-3 might have a range of over Template:Cvt with a payload of Template:Cvt.

Fourth launch attempt

In early-February 2016, North Korea announced that they would launch a satellite between 8 and 25 February 2016. Later, the launch window was revised to 7–14 February. On 7 February 2016, the first day of the revised launch window, North Korea launched another Unha rocket from Sohae. Officially dubbed Kwangmyongsong, it was claimed to insert the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 satellite into orbit. However, analysis suggests a significant shortfall in third-stage performance, leading to a lower than expected orbit.

List of launches

Official designation	Date	Launch site	Payload	Outcome
Unha-2	5 April 2009	Tonghae	Template:Flagicon Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2	Failure
Unha-3	13 April 2012	Sohae	Template:Flagicon Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3	Failure
Unha-3	12 December 2012	Sohae	Template:Flagicon Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2	Template:Success
Kwangmyŏngsŏng (Unha-3)	7 February 2016	Sohae	Template:Flagicon Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4	Template:Success

See also

• North Korean space program
• Naro-1
• Simorgh
• Chollima-1

External links

• David Wright (20 March 2009). "An Analysis of North Korea's Unha-2 Launch Vehicle" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2014..
• Robert S. Norris; Hans M. Kristensen (May–June 2005). "Nuclear Notebook: North Korea's nuclear program, 2005" (PDF). Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.