The launch seems uneventful....let the 'spin' commence....
N. Korea launches missile
The Yomiuri Shimbun - 9 minutes ago (Apr. 5, 2009)
North Korea on Sunday launched a ballistic missile that is believed to have flown over Japan before plunging into the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese government said.
North Korea had been preparing for the launch of the ballistic missile, which it claimed to be a communications satellite.
No human casualties or material damage have been reported so far.
It was North Korea's first launch of a long-range ballistic missile since July 2006 and the first time since August 1998 that a North Korean missile had flown over the Japanese archipelago.
The Japanese government plans to ask the U.N. Security Council to take up the issue, believing that the launch violates a Security Council resolution demanding that the country suspend all activities related to ballistic missiles.
According to the Defense Ministry and other sources, the missile was launched at about 11:30 a.m. from a base in North Korea. It said the launch site appeared to have been at the Musudan-ri missile base on the coastline along the Sea of Japan.
The missile appeared to have flown over Japan, with the first booster stage splashing down 280 kilometers off the coast of Akita Prefecture in the Sea of Japan and its second booster stage coming down 1,270 kilometers off the eastern coast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean, according to the government.
The government said the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 interceptor missiles were not used to engage any North Korean missile parts.
No damage has been reported.
The missile is believed to be the Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching as far as Alaska with a range of between 4,300 kilometers and 6,000 kilometers, or a modified version, with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers.
The Self-Defense Forces and U.S. forces are trying to identify the missile type and whether a satellite has been launched because North Korea also possesses the Taepodong-1 intermediate-range ballistic missile, with a maximum range of 1,500 kilometers, and the Rodong missile with a range of 1,300 kilometers.
The government planned to have the SDF intercept the missile with its missile defense system if it was projected to come down on Japanese soil or in Japanese territorial waters. However, because the government's analysis shortly after the launch showed that the missile was unlikely to come down on the Japanese territory, it decided not to intercept it.
However, the SDF and U.S. forces remain on high alert because North Korea might launch more missiles.
Top officials of government ministries and agencies concerned were to meet at the Prime Minister's Office to discuss what action to take in response to the launch. The Foreign Ministry is exchanging information with the United States, South Korea and other countries concerned.
North Korea announced on Feb. 24 that it planned to launch experimental communications satellite Kwangmyongsong-2 by means of delivery rocket Unha-2.
Believing that Pyongyang actually intended to test-fire a ballistic missile, however, Japan, the United States and other countries called on the country to give up the plan.
North Korea had test-fired ballistic missiles in the past, turning a blind eye to concerns raised by the international community.
In July 2006, North Korea fired a total of seven missiles, including a Taepodong-2, into the Sea of Japan.
In August 1998, it launched a Taepodong-1. The first-stage section landed in the Sea of Japan and the second-stage section came down in waters off Iwate Prefecture in the Pacific Ocean.
The country test-fired a Rodong missile into the Sea of Japan in May 1993.
N. Korea launches missile
The Yomiuri Shimbun - 9 minutes ago (Apr. 5, 2009)
North Korea on Sunday launched a ballistic missile that is believed to have flown over Japan before plunging into the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese government said.
North Korea had been preparing for the launch of the ballistic missile, which it claimed to be a communications satellite.
No human casualties or material damage have been reported so far.
It was North Korea's first launch of a long-range ballistic missile since July 2006 and the first time since August 1998 that a North Korean missile had flown over the Japanese archipelago.
The Japanese government plans to ask the U.N. Security Council to take up the issue, believing that the launch violates a Security Council resolution demanding that the country suspend all activities related to ballistic missiles.
According to the Defense Ministry and other sources, the missile was launched at about 11:30 a.m. from a base in North Korea. It said the launch site appeared to have been at the Musudan-ri missile base on the coastline along the Sea of Japan.
The missile appeared to have flown over Japan, with the first booster stage splashing down 280 kilometers off the coast of Akita Prefecture in the Sea of Japan and its second booster stage coming down 1,270 kilometers off the eastern coast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean, according to the government.
The government said the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 interceptor missiles were not used to engage any North Korean missile parts.
No damage has been reported.
The missile is believed to be the Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching as far as Alaska with a range of between 4,300 kilometers and 6,000 kilometers, or a modified version, with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers.
The Self-Defense Forces and U.S. forces are trying to identify the missile type and whether a satellite has been launched because North Korea also possesses the Taepodong-1 intermediate-range ballistic missile, with a maximum range of 1,500 kilometers, and the Rodong missile with a range of 1,300 kilometers.
The government planned to have the SDF intercept the missile with its missile defense system if it was projected to come down on Japanese soil or in Japanese territorial waters. However, because the government's analysis shortly after the launch showed that the missile was unlikely to come down on the Japanese territory, it decided not to intercept it.
However, the SDF and U.S. forces remain on high alert because North Korea might launch more missiles.
Top officials of government ministries and agencies concerned were to meet at the Prime Minister's Office to discuss what action to take in response to the launch. The Foreign Ministry is exchanging information with the United States, South Korea and other countries concerned.
North Korea announced on Feb. 24 that it planned to launch experimental communications satellite Kwangmyongsong-2 by means of delivery rocket Unha-2.
Believing that Pyongyang actually intended to test-fire a ballistic missile, however, Japan, the United States and other countries called on the country to give up the plan.
North Korea had test-fired ballistic missiles in the past, turning a blind eye to concerns raised by the international community.
In July 2006, North Korea fired a total of seven missiles, including a Taepodong-2, into the Sea of Japan.
In August 1998, it launched a Taepodong-1. The first-stage section landed in the Sea of Japan and the second-stage section came down in waters off Iwate Prefecture in the Pacific Ocean.
The country test-fired a Rodong missile into the Sea of Japan in May 1993.
