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North Korea may be planning Taepodong 2 trials
By Doug Richardson
07 October 2008
North Korea may be preparing to conduct further flight tests of its Taepodong 2 long-range ballistic missile.
The only known test firing of the Taepodong 2 was conducted in July 2006 and ended after only 42 seconds of powered flight due to a catastrophic failure, apparently of the first stage.
Satellite images suggested that the missile's first-stage engine was tested at North Korea's new missile test centre at Pongdong-ni during May or June, unnamed sources told the South Korean Yonhap news agency in mid-September.
The existence of the Pongdong-ni facility was revealed by Jane's in mid-September. Located on the west coast of North Korea, several kilometres southwest of the village of Tongch'ang-dong, it has been under construction for the past eight years. Facilities include a 10 m x 13 m rail-served moveable launch pad with a 40 m-tall umbilical tower thought to be capable of launching both the Taepodong 2 ballistic missile and the Taepodong 2 space launch vehicle.
The facility also has a rocket engine test stand located approximately 1 km south of the site's launch pad. The concrete engine test pad measures 15 m x 25 m and is capable of supporting test firings of all known North Korean rocket motors.