North Korea’s state media reports that Kim Jong-un’s planned second spy satellite will need additional assembly after the rocket it sat atop exploded shortly after launch, CBS reports, and South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff report debris falling in the waters off North Korea.
North Korea launched its first spy satellite in November after two failed attempts. After that, Kim told North Korea’s ruling party members that the country would launch three spy satellites in 2024. With this one now off-line, the definition of a “North Korean spy satellite” might include destroyed rocket detritus by the end of the year.