The Taepodong-2 (TD-2, also spelled as Taep'o-dong 2)
Federation of American Scientists, May 30, 2008 ( ko, 대포동 2호) is a designation used to indicate what was initially believed to be a
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n two or three-stage
ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...
design that is the successor to the
Taepodong-1
Taepodong-1 ( ko, 대포동-1) was a three-stage technology demonstrator developed by North Korea, a development step toward an intermediate-range ballistic missile. The missile was derived originally from the Scud rocket and was tested once in 1 ...
technology demonstrator. In 2012 the
U.S. Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...
assessed that the Taepodong-2 had not been deployed as a missile.
The Taepodong-2 is the technology base for the
Unha
The Unha or Eunha ( ko, 은하, 銀河, "Galaxy") is a North Korean expendable carrier rocket, which partially utilizes the same delivery system as the Taepodong-2 orbital launch system.
History
North Korea's first orbital space launch attempt ...
space launch vehicle, and was likely not intended as
ICBM
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...
technology.
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Details
As there is no publicly available imagery of the only Taepodong-2 launch in 2006, all estimates of technical parameters are approximate.
Based on the size of the missile, the fuel composition, and the likely fuel capacity, it is estimated that a two-stage variant would have a range of around 4,000 km (2,500 statute miles) and a three-stage variant would be capable of reaching as far as 4,500 km (2,800 statute miles), giving it potentially the longest range in the North Korean missile arsenal. The burn time of each stage is a little over 100 seconds, thus allowing the missile to burn for 5 or 6 minutes. Speculative variants of the missile could be capable of a range of approximately 9,000 km (5,600 statute miles).[ At maximum range, the Taepodong-2 is estimated to have a payload capacity of less than 500 kg (~1,100 lbs).]
According to a former worker in the publications department of one of North Korea's top research centres, who defected to South Korea, North Korea began development of the missile in 1987.
Very few details concerning the technical specifications of the rocket are public information; even the name "Taepodong-2" is a designation applied by agencies outside North Korea to what is presumed to be a successor to the Taepodong-1. The TD-2 first stage likely uses a liquid propellant
A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, a ...
(TM-185 fuel and AK-27I oxidizer) driven engine and the second stage likely utilises the Rodong short-range missile. Depending on the range, the estimated payload capacity could be as high as 700–1,000 kg (~1,550 - 2,200 lbs) at short range, making it potentially suitable for conventional weapons payloads, NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
payloads as well as Earth orbit
Earth orbits the Sun at an average distance of 149.60 million km (92.96 million mi) in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the Northern Hemisphere. One complete orbit takes days (1 sidereal year), during which time Earth ...
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
delivery. At maximum range, the Taepodong-2 is estimated to have a payload capacity of less than 500 kg (~1,100 lbs). North Korea has yet to demonstrate the ability to produce a re-entry vehicle, without which North Korea cannot deliver a weapon from an ICBM.[
In 2015, aerospace engineer and North Korea missile program analyst John Schilling stated that North Korea did not seem to be planning to create an operational ICBM from the Taepodong-2 technology, and that the Taepodong-2 had been mistakenly identified as an ICBM development, whereas in reality it was a space launch development vehicle.][
]
Structure
First stage
Taepodong-2's first stage consists of four Rodong motors.
Second and third stages
Little is known about the Taepodong-2 design beyond the first stage. Most likely the second stage is one of the Scud
A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second World, Second and Third World, Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporti ...
-derived North Korean ballistic missiles (either Rodong-1
The Hwasong-7 (; spelled Hwaseong-7 in South Korea, lit. Mars Type 7), also known as Nodong-1 (Hangul: ; Hanja: ), is a single-Staging (rocketry), stage, mobile Bipropellant rocket, liquid propellant medium-range ballistic missile developed by Nort ...
or Hwasong-6
The Hwasong-6 () is a North Korean tactical ballistic missile. It is derived from the Hwasong-5, itself a derivative of the Soviet R-17 Elbrus. It carries the NATO reporting name Scud.
History
Work on an extended-range version of the Hwasong-5 ...
), and the third stage most likely uses Chinese solid-fuel engines.[Taepodong-2 specs]
globalsecurity.org
Launches
2006 test
A Taepodong-2 was test fired on 5 July 2006 from the Tonghae test facility. According to reports, the missile failed in mid-flight about 40 seconds after launch.
Subsequent Unha launches
Subsequent launches were intended to launch satellites, using a Taepodong-2 development called the Unha
The Unha or Eunha ( ko, 은하, 銀河, "Galaxy") is a North Korean expendable carrier rocket, which partially utilizes the same delivery system as the Taepodong-2 orbital launch system.
History
North Korea's first orbital space launch attempt ...
rocket. After two failures in April 2009 and April 2012, its first successful flight, Unha-3
The Unha or Eunha ( ko, 은하, 銀河, "Galaxy") is a North Korean expendable carrier rocket, which partially utilizes the same delivery system as the Taepodong-2 orbital launch system.
History
North Korea's first orbital space launch attemp ...
, occurred in December 2012 with the launch of the second version of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 satellite.
This successful flight was repeated on 7 February 2016 (UTC) with the successful launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4
Kwangmyongsong-4 () or KMS-4 is a reconnaissance satellite launched by North Korea on 7 February 2016.
The launch happened after North Korea conducted a nuclear test on 6 January and as the United Nations Security Council was deciding on san ...
using a similar rocket as Unha-3
The Unha or Eunha ( ko, 은하, 銀河, "Galaxy") is a North Korean expendable carrier rocket, which partially utilizes the same delivery system as the Taepodong-2 orbital launch system.
History
North Korea's first orbital space launch attemp ...
even though the rocket is officially named as Kwangmyŏngsŏng (not to be confused with the satellite with the same name).
See also
* Military of North Korea
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
* North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
North Korea has a Korean People's Army, military nuclear weapon program, nuclear weapons program and, as of early 2020, is estimated to have an nuclear arsenal, arsenal of approximately 30 to 40 nuclear weapons and sufficient production of f ...
References
External links
CSIS Missile Threat - Taepodong-2 (Unha-3)
''NOW on PBS'', July 7, 2006
Taepodong-2 Design Heritage Imagery @ GlobalSecurity.org
NKorea may be set for long-range missile launch: reports
February 2, 2009
{{DPRK missiles
Intercontinental ballistic missiles of North Korea