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Korean Committee of Space TechnologyUnha-3Unha Launch Pad, Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2
Launched
December 12, 2012
Summary
Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2 launched on a Korean Committee of Space Technology Unha-3 from Unha Launch Pad, Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea on December 12, 2012. It was Korean Committee of Space Technology's 4th launch, 2nd this year and humanity's 5,265th orbital launch attempt. It was the 2nd Unha-3 flight. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Kwangmyongsong-3-ho 2-hogi, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 502 × 595 km orbit inclined 97.4°. 4 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Unha-3 · Korean Committee of Space Technology
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 2nd Unha-3 flightKorean Committee of Space Technology's 4th launch2nd this yearhumanity's 5,265th orbital launch attempt75th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Kwangmyongsong-3-ho 2-hogi · NORAD 39026 · 2012-072 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 4 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2012-072A
- Epoch
- 2012-12-12 02:18:24 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.08261084 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0067405
- Inclination
- 97.4047°
- Ascending node
- 36.0317°
- Arg. of perigee
- 176.3492°
- Mean anomaly
- 277.5861°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 1
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: SSO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
4 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 2 components; none still in orbit
- Kwangmyongsong-3-ho 2-hogi · NORAD 39026 · re-entered September 13, 2023
Unha-3 (4) Stage 3 · re-entered November 5, 2025
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2 was North Korea's first satellite to reach orbit, described by Pyongyang as an Earth-observation spacecraft; it was never confirmed to transmit and is believed to have tumbled after deployment.
Pad
Unha Launch Pad, Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea
2nd launch from Unha Launch Pad, 2nd this year · 2nd from Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea
3 launches from this pad · 7 from Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea
243 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of KoreaOpen in maps
Questions
When did Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2 launch?
Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2 launched on December 12, 2012. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2?
Unha-3, flown by Korean Committee of Space Technology. Unha-3 spec sheet
Where did Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2 launch from?
Unha Launch Pad, Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
What orbit did Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2 reach?
Kwangmyongsong-3-ho 2-hogi, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 502 × 595 km orbit inclined 97.4°.
How many satellites did Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, no longer in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).