North Korea Rocket Preparations Spotted By Satellite Images
New satellite images indicated that North Korea moved two sections of a long-range rocket in preparation for a launch that would worry many, according to The Associated Press.
A commercial satellite photo taken Monday showed two long trailers, likely used to carry the first two stages of a rocket, parked near the main missile assembly building where rocket stages would be checked before moving to their launch pads for takeoff. Empty tanks are also shown in four locations, suggesting fueling preparations.
North Korea has yet to announce their plans, however, South Korean officials said Thursday that there are signs of preparations at the rocket site. South Korea recently won U.S. approval to expand its ballistic-missile range and now they face a Dec. 19 presidential election.
The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies said Thursday the recent activity at the site in North Korea's northwest coast suggests a three-stage rocket could be ready to launch by the end of the first week in December, according to The AP.
The heightened worry from other countries may come from the fact that long-range rocket technology can be used for missiles that could easily target any country, including the United States.
The new activity might be North Korea's way of covering the embarrassement of a failed attempt in April, where they fired a rocket and were unable to launch a satellite into space. On the other hand, some analysts believe that the act could be a bluff by the North to stir discussions in the West.
"It's possible, of course, that Pyongyang knows its preparations will be seen and discussed in the West, and they are intended to be a signal rather than signs of an imminent launch," David Wright, a physicist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said this week. "Preparing for a launch less than a year after a failure calls into question whether the North could have analyzed and fixed whatever went wrong."
