A Chollima-1 rocket failed to reach orbit after the vehicle suffered an explosion just two minutes into its flight. The North Korean rocket, carrying the Malligyong-1 F4 reconnaissance satellite, was launched from the Sohae site at Tongchang-Ri, North Korea, at 1344 GMT on 27 May.
Blame for the violent blast in the sky over the North Korean/Chinese border has initially been cast on a first-stage engine failure, late in its burn. The original first-stage engine used in Chollima-1 rockets used hypergolic storable propellants. While this favours faster intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches, it is less efficient than other liquid fuel engines. However, in the case of the most recent Chollima-1 launch, the first-stage engine used a more efficient and more powerful LOx (Liquid Oxygen)/ “Petroleum” (thought to mean Kerosene) burning type, according to official state reports.
An investigation may further illuminate exactly what went wrong. Regardless, the incident marks a series of unfortunate events for the Chollima rocket series, as it was the fourth launch and the third failure.
Post script: Seradata has noted the new rocket variant as Chollima-1A and, due to the single stage change, classified it as a “radically modified” launch vehicle.
