A space expert based in the Netherlands claims that North Korea’s first spy satellite is operational after detecting changes in its orbit which suggest that Pyongyang is successfully controlling the spacecraft, although its capabilities are still unknown. The Malligyong-1 satellite was successfully placed in orbit in November after two failed attempts.
North Korea’s state media claimed that it had photographed sensitive military and political sites in South Korea, the United States, and other countries, but no imagery has been released. Independent radio trackers have not detected any signals from the satellite. However, according to Marco Langbroek, a satellite expert at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, the satellite has been confirmed to be alive after it conducted manoeuvres from Feb. 19-24 to raise its perigee, or the lowest point in its orbit, from 488 km to 497 km, citing data from the U.S.-led Combined Space Operations Center.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry has also confirmed that it is in orbit, but will not comment further on individual analyses. The Defence Minister, Shin Won-sik, stated that the satellite was not showing any signs of performing other tasks or engaging in reconnaissance.
Langbroek commented on Shin’s statement saying, “While we indeed currently cannot be
sure whether the satellite does successfully take imagery, it at least performs orbital manoeuvres, so in that sense it is functional.”
Langbroek also stated that the orbit-raising manoeuvre was a surprise as the presence of an onboard propulsion system was unexpected and previous North Korean satellites never manoeuvred. Having the capacity to raise the satellite’s orbit is a significant development, which means that as long as there is fuel in the satellite, North Korea could prolong its lifetime by raising its altitude when it gets too low due to orbital decay.