Launched in 1980, the North Korean space program has encountered many difficulties over the years. The first launch took place in 1998, and was based on the Taepodong-1 launcher, a rocket 25 meters long with a take-off weight of 33 tons, supposed to be able to put a one-ton satellite into orbit in a low orbit. at an altitude of 2500 km. Based on technology developed for the Rodong-1 intermediate-range ballistic missile, the launch was aborted after the rocket's third stage reportedly caught fire after flying 1600 km. The second test took place in 2006, with a new launcher of 30 meters and 90 tons called Unha-1 and derived from the ballistic missile Taepodong-2, but the latter exploded only 45 seconds after takeoff.
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