MISSION NAME
Kwangmyongsong 1 1
Status
Failure
DATE
31 AUG 1998
LAUNCH PROVIDER
Korean Committee of Space Technology
Launch Pad
Satellite Launch Pad
Description
Thir first attempt to launch a North Korean satellite ended in vain, as the third stage of the Pekdosan-1 (a.k.a. Taepodong-1) launch vehicle failed shortly before it reached orbital velocity. Kwangmyŏngsŏng 1 would have beamed propaganda songs from space, if it had reached a stable orbit.
Paektusan 1
Rocket Description
Taepodong-1 was a three-stage technology demonstrator developed by North Korea, a development step toward an intermediate-range ballistic missile. The missile was derived originally from the Scud rocket and was tested once in 1998 as a space launch vehicle. As a space launch vehicle, it was sometimes called the Paektusan 1.