Seoul, March 6 (FN Agency) North Korea has said that it tested another ‘reconnaissance satellite’, media reports said on Sunday. “The North’s National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) and the Academy of Defence Science conducted another important test on Saturday under the plan of developing a reconnaissance satellite,” Yonhap quoted the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as reporting. The NADA said, “confirmed, through the test, data transmission and reception system of the satellite’s reliability, its control command system and various ground-based control systems.” On Saturday, Pyongyang had also fired an apparent ballistic missile toward the East Sea, its ninth show of force this year, according to South Korea’s military.
The launch was detected from around the Sunan area in Pyongyang and the missile flew around 270 km at a top altitude of 560 km, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The latest launch came four days ahead of South Korea’s presidential election. The test came amid concerns over possibility of North firing a long-range rocket under the disguise of a space rocket launch, as it made a veiled threat in January to suspend its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, Yonhap reported. In the past, the North claimed to have sought to put satellites into orbit as part of a ‘peaceful’ space development program, while the US and its allies viewed it as part of efforts to master the ICBM technology. According to Observers, the North’s latest missile test, which followed a similar test last week, could be a prelude to preparations for a long-range rocket launch amid stalled de-nuclearisation talks with the US, Yonhap said.
On February 27, the North had launched a ballistic missile and later announced that it carried out an ‘important test’ to confirm the accuracy of the ‘photographing system, data transmission system and attitude control devices’ to develop a reconnaissance satellite. The stated development of a reconnaissance satellite is among the key defence projects that the North unveiled during its major congress of the ruling Workers’ Party in January last year, Yonhap said. Since the start of this year, the North has launched a barrage of missiles, including an intermediate-range ballistic missile.