in the beginning this calendar week , North Korea claim to have post asatellite into eye socket , a move that was widely condemned around the human beings as being a disguised test of ballistic missile technology . And while ab initio it seemed the artificial satellite was inoperable , its orbit now seems to have been stabilize – suggesting this is North Korea ’s most successful planet yet .
An unnamed older U.S. United States Department of Defense prescribed toldCNNearlier this workweek that the Kwangmyongsong-4 artificial satellite was “ tumbling in orbit , ” mean it was not able-bodied to perform any role and was essentially useless . But yesterday , Reutersreported another functionary as saying : “ It ’s in a stable range now . They come the acrobatics under dominance . ”
The satellite , in a polar orbit at a height of about 500 kilometers ( 310 mile ) , still does n’t seem to be broadcasting any signals , suggesting it is not quite in full functioning yet . The last satellite launched by North Korea , inDecember 2012 , see similar problem and was not able to recover in that instance . If this planet is indeed static , and communication can be opened , it would be a significant footstep forward for the apart country .
The video above is a replay of the launch from North Korean state TV . Korean Central Television / YouTube
allot toArs Technica , the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite is an Earth observation satellite mean to monitor agricultural output signal . The launching seems to have been timed to coincide with the birthday of the late leader Kim Jong - il on February 16 , while the satellite also flew over the U.S. at the culmination of the late Super Bowl .
While the satellite is unchanging for now , expert are bear on to monitor its orbit , to look for any major changes in its inclination . “ If we see a dramatic change in elevation that could mean [ the electron orbit ] is hold up to crumble , ” pronounce Martin O’Donnell , a spokesman for the U.S. Strategic Command , reportedThe Guardian , suggesting it would re - move into the atmosphere and burn up .
