This is the fourth time that bad luck has befallen the Japanese Hal program
Senior officials of the Japanese Space Agency on Friday blew up a rocket carrying two spy satellites designed to monitor what is happening in North Korea. The satellites were destroyed after takeoff due to an unidentified technical fault. "It was impossible to save the satellites," the official told the news agencies. The investigative committee has already begun its work.
The original launch date was in September, but it was postponed three times due to technical problems. "Shortly after the launch, we sent a destruction message to the missile because we came to the conclusion that the mission would not be able to fulfill its purpose." said spokesman Shoko Yamamoto. "We cannot give details only to say that the mission ended in failure."
Japan has two spy satellites in orbit monitoring North Korea, which is suspected of developing nuclear weapons.
This is an embarrassing setback for Japan, only a few weeks after China, a less advanced country from the technological point of view, launched and safely landed a manned spacecraft. The Japanese said they were determined to try and launch spy satellites again in place of the destroyed ones.
North Korea condemned the launch of the first two satellites as a "hostile act" and said that the launch could lead to a renewal of the arms race. Japan's satellite program is a response to the launch of a ballistic missile from North Korea that passed over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean in August 1998.
"It really stunned the Japanese. They realized that they had to wake up and not be XNUMX percent dependent on the Americans," said Prof. Victor Che, an Asian studies expert at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. "Until then, Japan had purchased satellite images from the US and France."
The launch comes at a sensitive time for Japan and North Korea as the two countries prepare for a joint six-nation conference aimed at trying to resolve the crisis surrounding Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. About 400 security personnel were stationed at the launch site on the southern island of Tangashima. The Coast Guard patrolled the waters around the island and protected against a possible terrorist attack or an attempt by North Korea to interfere with the launch.
Japan will launch more spy satellites against North Korea
8.7.2003
By: Avi Blizovsky
Japan plans to launch another pair of spy satellites in September, which will monitor the situation in North Korea, in addition to the two it already launched in March.
The first two satellites pass over North Korea twice a day - once in the morning and once at night, and placing two additional satellites in space will allow Japan to photograph North Korea in the afternoon as well.
