The second endeavor of North Korea to launch a spy satellite into space was not fruitful. Three months after the initial failure, they tried again, but unfortunately, the satellite still ended up in the sea.
According to state media, the attempt on Thursday morning failed when the rocket was in the third stage of its flight.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un really wants a spy satellite because it would help him see when enemies are going to attack and plan his own attacks better.
Pyongyang’s space agency plans to make another attempt in October.
South Korea said it found out about the rocket being launched at around 03:50 local time (18:50 GMT). It flew through the area in the sky that is open to all countries between mainland China and the Korean peninsula.
The start caused a sudden warning in Japan’s most southern Okinawa region just a few minutes later, telling people to go inside and stay safe. The warning was ended after around 20 minutes.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, criticized the launch and said that it goes against the UN resolutions. He also mentioned that they have already lodged a strong protest.
But even though Pyongyang was surely let down by Thursday’s failure, it seems like they have made some advances.
A news report from a government news agency called KCNA said that the failure happened because there was a mistake in the emergency blasting system while the rocket was flying in the third stage. The report also mentioned that this problem was not a major one.
It looks like the rocket with the satellite went even farther than before. Officials in Pyongyang admitted that the failed attempt in May was their biggest mistake. However, they promised to give it another shot.
Mr Kim will probably keep going until he achieves success. He is already making progress with his weapons program and is not interested in talking to the US.
Thursday’s launch happened a few days after leaders from the US, Japan, and South Korea had an important meeting in Washington. It also marks the beginning of the yearly military exercises between the United States and South Korea.