Sohae Launch Facility Update: Quiet Since Early March
Key Findings
- While recent activity at the Sohae Launch facility appears to have returned it to operational status after DPRK dismantlement measures earlier in the summer of 2018, there has been no activity of significance at the vertical engine test stand or launch pad since our last report on Sohae (Tongchang-ri).
- Launch Pad: The environmental covers on the umbilical tower and the rail-mounted launch pad remain closed concealing any activity within them. There does not appear to be a launch vehicle present.
- No significant activity is noted elsewhere at the facility.
Sohae (Tongchang-ri) Launch Facility
The vertical engine test stand as seen on March 17, 2019. (Copyright © 2019 by DigitalGlobe) (Click each image to view larger size)
The launch pad as seen on March 17, 2019. (Copyright © 2019 by DigitalGlobe)
This site will be monitored for further activity consistent with readying the launch facility for possible use in the future.
Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. is an internationally recognized analyst, award-winning author, and lecturer on North Korean defense and intelligence affairs and ballistic missile development in developing countries. He is concurrently senior fellow for Imagery Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Security (CSIS); senior adviser and imagery analyst for the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK); author for IHS Markit (formerly the Jane’s Information Group); and publisher and editor of KPA Journal. Formerly, he has served as founder and CEO of KPA Associates, LLC, senior imagery analyst for 38 North at Johns Hopkins SAIS, chief analytics officer and co-founder of AllSource Analysis, Inc., and senior all-source analyst for DigitalGlobe’s Analysis Center.
Victor Cha is a senior adviser and the inaugural holder of the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Headline image credit: Copyright 2019 by DigitalGlobe.
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