Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) Report
Experts Suggest Malligyong Satellite’s Video Demonstrates Advanced Capabilities
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North Korea claimed that the military reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1, launched on the 21st, captured images of key facilities in the mainland U.S. This includes the White House, the Pentagon, and U.S. and British aircraft carriers.
The Korean Central News Agency conveyed that on the 28th, it was reported that Kim Jong Un had been briefed on the reconnaissance satellite operation’s progress by the National Aerospace Technology Administration in Pyongyang. This briefing occurred on the morning of the 27th and continued into the early hours of the 28th. Additionally, they mentioned that Kim Jong Un was presented with comprehensive details at 11:35:53 PM Pyongyang time on the 27th about the data collected from various locations in the United States, including the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, Newport News Shipyard, and the airport vicinity, as well as significant sites like the White House and the Pentagon, with the latter details being provided at 11:36:25 PM on the 27th.
In particular, the news agency reported that data from the Norfolk Naval Base and Newport News Shipyard captured four U.S. nuclear aircraft carriers and one British aircraft carrier.
However, North Korea did not release the satellite images captured by Malligyong-1 this time.
The news agency added that Kim expressed great satisfaction with the successful progress of the operational preparation of the reconnaissance satellite, which is about to embark on its official mission.
Regarding the claims made by North Korea about their satellite capabilities, Professor Jang Young-geun from the Aerospace University commented that North Korea seems to be underscoring its ability to detect details using the Malligyong-1 satellite imagery, particularly highlighting the identification of four U.S. nuclear aircraft carriers and a British aircraft carrier.
Professor Jang further explained that using a camera with a resolution of around 10 meters can easily identify an aircraft carrier. He noted that precisely determining the performance of North Korean military reconnaissance satellites based on publicly available information is pretty challenging. An analysis of the satellite’s external shape drawing suggests that it comes equipped with four deployable solar panels, two-star trackers, and thrusters for periodic orbit control and specific attitude adjustments. He inferred that this configuration indicates an aim to achieve a resolution between 1 to 5 meters.
Professor Jang stated that the Malligyong-1 satellite, designed for a Sun Synchronous Repeat Ground Track Orbit, completes 76 orbit cycles and establishes a ground repeat orbit every five days. This orbit pattern implies that the satellite circles the Earth approximately 15.2 times each day.
According to the orbit analysis, Professor Jang predicted that the satellite was stably circling at an average altitude of approximately 502 kilometers (about 312 miles). Additionally, he mentioned that atmospheric drag decreased the average altitude by about 0.3 kilometers (about 0.18 miles) during the first five days after launch, and they expected to periodically adjust the orbit by operating the thruster for the required image shooting.
By. Lee Seok Jong
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