North Korea Successfully launches its first satellite

[icytailmark (Mark)]

breaking news north korea just launched a 3 stage rocket over japan. Reports coming in that they have successfully launched their first satellite.

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

Well done Nth Korea and your supreme leader. Now you can concentrate on feeding your people.

[Pinwheel (Doug)]

So what did they put into LOW ORBIT a bucket of water or a photo of their former leader...

[gary]

In this ABC report, it states "the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD)
said the rocket deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit around the Earth."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-1...rocket/4423668

Given the trajectory, the payload may well have passed over Australia.

The payload weight will be of extreme interest.

A worrying development.

[gary]

Jonathan McDowell reports USSTRATCOM designation likely to
be "39026, 2012-072A".

[gary]

Jonathan McDowell's Twitter page. Notice that T.S Kelso has been studying the
orbit as well and tweets on McDowell's page -
https://twitter.com/planet4589

[gary]

Jonathon's Space Report =
http://planet4589.org/jsr.html

Originally Posted by Jonathan McDowell

North Korean satellite
-------------------

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Choson Minjujuui Inmin Konghwaguk) carried
out its fourth satellite launch attempt at around 0049-0051 UTC on Dec 12. The Unha-3 rocket carried
the second flight model of the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite. Initial reports indicated
that the first and second stages of the rocket fired successfully with second
stage impact near the Phillipines. US tracking then cataloged object 39026 as 2012-072A
in a 494 x 588 km x 97.4 deg sun-synchronous orbit with a 0900 local time descending node;
two further objects were cataloged in similar 497 x 582 and 498 x 570 km orbits.
'Kwangmyongsong' means 'lodestar' or 'star of hope' and is believed to be 
a reference to former leader Kim Jong Il. I believe the launch is consistent with
flight on an 88 deg trajectory from Sohae launch site followed by a yawed third stage burn
to put the satellite in a 97 deg orbit. 

   North Korean satellite attempts:
   --------------------------------
   Date         Rocket        Payload            Planned orbit          Result

   1998 Aug 31  Paektusan-1   Kwangmyongsong-1    219 x 6978 km x 41 deg Stage 3 failed, fell in ocean
   2009 Apr  5  Unha-2        Kwangmyongsong-2    490 x 1426 km x 41 deg Stage 3 failed, fell in ocean
   2012 Apr 12  Unha-3        Kwangmyongsong-3    500 x 500 x 97.4       Stage 1 failed, short range
   2012 Dec 12  Unha-3        Kwangmyongsong-3/F2 500 x 500 x 97.4       494 x 588 x 97.4, success

[gary]

According to this web site -
http://www.zarya.info/Gallimaufry/Kwangmyongsong32.php

Originally Posted by http://www.zarya.info/Gallimaufry/Kwangmyongsong32.php

Radio Transmission Frequency

With the attempt to launch Kwangmyongsong 2 in 2009, North Korea said the satellite would be broadcasting a mixture of songs in praise of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, and telemetry. The frequency was given as 470 MHz. Prior to the first Kwangmyongsong 3 launch, similar comments were forthcoming.

From this, it is reasonable to conclude that the same will apply to Kwangmyongsong 3-2. So we will need to look out for a modulated signal near 470.00 MHz.

If it is successful in reaching orbit, the first opportunities to pick up signals will be from South and North America, on northbound passes in the few hours immediately after launch. About eight hours after launch, it will come within range of Europe with a series of southbound ground tracks.

Radio amateurs might want to try 470MHz if there is a pass.

[gary]

TLE

1 39026u 12072a   12347.09611576 -.00000066  00000-0  00000+0 0    21
2 39026 097.4047 036.0317 0067405 176.3492 277.5861 15.08261084    19

[gary]

If any radio amateurs read this in the Sydney area, you might try 470.00 MHz
between 23:48 AEDT and 12:55 AEDT in a few minutes time tonight.

It might rise in Az at 208 degrees, peak at Az 244 degrees and set at Az 281, but will
only reach a max Alt of 5 degrees.

[gary]

If the North Koreans have managed to put a Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 satellite in orbit,
the estimated weight for that payload would be around 100kg.

The lightest nuclear weapons the United States built in the late 50's/early 60's
weighed around 68kg and could deliver a yield of between a few tons to a kiloton.

The Australian press is relatively nonchalant about the story of the Korean
launch at the moment. This morning's Sydney Morning Herald has a story
way down the page entitled "Alarm over N Korea ricket" (sic). See below.
Perhaps what you expect if you sack all your sub-editors.

But I would not be surprised that in a day or two when they figure out that a North
Korean missile just delivered a satellite that passed over Australia that
otherwise hypothetically could have been a small atomic weapon, some
more words may be typed.