After a series of missile launch, North Korea is now on the move to raise their flag on the moon.
Hyon Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department of North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration, said that the world’s super powers can try to block the country’s space missions but nobody can stop them – especially in reaching the moon.
Pyongyang’s space officials are now burning eyebrows to realize a five-year plan to put more advanced satellites into orbit by year 2020 and also targets to reach the moon. North Korea seems to be testing the waters as Hyon announced that international sanctions cannot stop their mission and announced that North Korean flag will be seen on a zero gravity moon within the next ten years.
“Even though the U.S. and its allies try to block our space development, our aerospace scientists will conquer space and definitely plant the flag of the DPRK on the moon”, said Hyon Kwang Il. Adding that he wants to see their flag on Luna’s face.
Hyon said the current five-year plan, at the order of leader Kim Jong Un, focuses on launching more Earth observation satellites and what would be its first geostationary communications satellite . He admitted that the plan requires a major leap forward but their universities are also expanding programs to train rocket scientists in support to their half-a-decade plan.
“We are planning to develop the Earth observation satellites and to solve communications problems by developing geostationary satellites. All of this work will be the basis for the flight to the moon”, Hyon said.
On Wednesday, North Korea test-fired what was believed to be a medium-range ballistic missile into the seas off Japan, the fourth reported weapons launch it has carried out in about two weeks.
It launched its latest satellite — the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Brilliant Star 4 — into orbit on Feb. 7, just one month after conducting what it claims was its first H-bomb test. That brought new sanctions because nuclear tests and rocket launches, which can have military applications, are banned under United Nations resolutions.
Hyon said the sanctions are ridiculous. “Our country has started to accomplish our plan and we have started to gain a lot of successes,” he said. “No matter what anyone thinks, our country will launch more satellites”.