North Korea says latest spy satellite launch failed, but will try again

North Korea‘s second attempt to place a spy satellite in orbit failed on Thursday after the rocket booster experienced a problem with its third stage, state media reported, as space authorities vowed to try again in October.

Its first try in May also ended in failure when the new Chollima-1 rocket crashed into the sea.The pre-dawn launch came in the first hours of an eight-day window that North Korea had announced for the attempt.The nuclear-armed country has been seeking to place what would be its first military spy satellite into orbit, saying it plans a fleet of satellites to monitor moves by U.S. and South Korean troops.”The flights of the first and second stages of the rocket were normal, but the launch failed due to an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight,” state news agency KCNA said of Thursday’s launch.South Korea‘s military said it tracked the flight from its launch at the North‘s Sohae Satellite Launching Ground and concluded that it was a failure. It said it was seeking to find and potentially salvage any wreckage.

via Reuters