Sohae Satellite Launching Station
| Sohae Satellite Launching Station | |
|---|---|
| 서해위성발사장 | |
| North Korea | |
Unha-3 rocket in the site before launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3.
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 Sohae Satellite Launching Station
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| Coordinates | 39°39′36″N 124°42′18″E / 39.660°N 124.705°E |
| Type | Spaceport |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1990s |
| Built by | North Korea |
Sohae Satellite Launching Station (Chosŏn'gŭl: 서해위성발사장; Hancha: 西海衛星發射場; MR: Sohae Wisŏng Palsajang, also known as Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center and Pongdong-ri) is a rocket launching site in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, North Korea. The base is located among hills close to the northern border with China. The spaceport was built on the site of the village Pongdong-ri which was displaced during construction. It was the site for the 13 April 2012 launch of the North Korean satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3, which was launched to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-Sung. The rocket launch failed, but on 12 December of the same year Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 was successfully launched and brought into Earth orbit.
The launches were controversial as they were dismissed by the US as tests of ballistic missile technology and hence of breach of an agreement made between North Korea and the USA in February 2012.
Signs of construction were visible during the early 1990s and became more pronounced by the early 2000s. A major progress in the construction was discovered in 2008 by Jane's Information Group, which requested imagery from the satellite company DigitalGlobe. Movements from the Sanum’dong missile research factory with the erector transporter and railroad, road transportation to the space center of a prototype Unha-3 class booster first two stages initially took place over 29–31 May 2009 possibly for logistics testing as well as personnel facilities infrastructure testing training purposes. The results of those tests suggest that military and design specialists ultimately decided to build a facilities access railroad to cut down the 15 kilometer road access logistics issues to the space center.
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Wikipedia