Sohae Satellite Launching Station

39.660075124.705294Koordinaten: 39 ° 39 ' 36 "N, 124 ° 42' 19" E

Sohae ( Hangul: 동창 동 미사일 발 사장, Hanja :平安 北 道 铁山 郡 的 西海 卫星 发射场, also known as Tongch'ang -dong missile launch site and also Pongdong -ri ) is a rocket launch site in North Korea and is located 15 km south of Cholsan in the province P'yŏngan - pukto about 50 km south of the Chinese border.

The launch site was known abroad only by satellite images, since started in the 1990s the building. Only when the North Korean authorities announced the launch of a satellite in March 2012, while the existence and the name of the new launch site was announced.

Until then, you only had the option of satellite imagery to infer the facilities of the complex. However, in early April 2012 were foreign journalists the opportunity to visit the launch center, to which some previous assumptions had to be revised.

From Sohae from start-ups are possible in a southerly direction over the sea, without in the first phase inhabited areas or neighboring countries overflown. Burned-out rocket stages can fall into the sea. Thus satellite orbits are possible with high orbital inclination, as are common on Earth Observation Satellites.

The first launch of Sohae took place on April 12, 2012 ( local time after 13 April) with a rocket of the type Unha - 3, but broke up or exploded two minutes after the start to about 70 km altitude. The debris reached a peak altitude of about 151 km and fell into the sea between the People's Republic of China and South Korea. The next launch attempt was successful, as a satellite was launched into orbit on 12 December 2012.

Swell

• Rocket launch site ( space)
• Place in North Korea
• P'yŏngan - pukto