The Norks aim high:
North Korea has defied international warnings and gone ahead with a controversial rocket launch.
The rocket blasted off from the Musudan-ri launch site in the north-east of the country at 0230 GMT.
North Korea said it was sending a satellite into orbit, but its neighbours suspect the launch was a cover for a long-range missile test.
They strongly condemned the launch. The US president told Pyongyang to “refrain from further provocative actions”.
Yeah. That ought to do it. Strongly condemn, and that.
I guess those Aegis ships can come home now.
Update: Not all that and a bag of chips, apparently -
North Korea failed in its attempt to get a satellite into space after a rocket launch early on Sunday, US and South Korean officials say.
Two stages of the rocket and its payload landed in the Pacific Ocean, a US military statement said.
Hours earlier North Korea claimed the satellite had successfully been put into orbit and was transmitting data.
Assuming for the sake of argument that was an orbital payload, that’s bad news for the North Korean rocket scientists. Of course, that’s a pretty big assumption.
Ballistic missiles aren’t supposed to stay in orbit.
Rats, I was hoping that MCCAIN would show our displeasure. Oh well, no balls in DC.
SCOTTthe BADGER/
If you’re still up I left a note for you under your post at today’s “Flight Planning.”
**facepalm**
From a comment over at Ace’s:
Obama used harsher language condemning the US for it’s arrogant attitude towards Europe.
Brad,
I suspect that the intent is to bleed the Norks dry through a thousand paper cuts from “strongly worded letters”. Perhaps overload whatever mail system they have?
Heaven’s to Betsy. Sigh.
FWIW, the Aegis ships participating are all homeported in Japan (and McCain wasn’t one of them).
- SJS
OH, OK, I had heard that MCCAIN was one of them, I stand corrected, Mea Culpa.
‘sokay — Navy spokesman had it wrong at the time too, but couldn’t say anything then…
- SJS
SJS – do I take that to mean that there were no ABM capable shooters in the area anyway (as I understand not all Aegis have that capability?).
Brian
SJS,
Is that to say that the last link in Lex’s article is incorrect? It states that the McCain set sail from the South Korean port of Busan. I’m confused (nothing new there).
@ Brian: No, others w/capability were onsta
@Guy: McCain did sail, she just wasn’t part of this drill…
- SJS
Surely, the US and the UN won’t be sending a HARSH letter! Wouldn’t fit our new humble image. /ugly, ugly word!/
I would respectfully suggest that sometimes you can learn a let more about an potential adversary’s capabilities by observation than by blowing something out of the sky. Google and Wiki about for information on intell collection of overwater and other missile testing by previous (and current) adversaries.
Given that it appears, like a lot of other things they’ve done, this thing appears at least superficially to be a bust, maybe crunching collected data will be of more value than giving the NORK’s the opportunity to hyperventilate that we blew their “peaceful” test out of the sky.
Just sayin’….
VR,
Comjam
Got to agree with Comjam here. Whilst intercepting and blowing the missile up might have got some people’s rocks off, all it would have done is demonstrate exactly the capabilities of our systems to our enemies and provided them with a hell of a lot of data which they could use to modify their own missiles to make them harder to intercept.
Never show your hand unless you have to.
Josh, thanks for your perceptive & intelligent comment re “..rocks off..”.
Trying to remember when last we actually stopped NK from doing whatever the hell they wanted to do -as opposed to sternly warning them. Thinking, thinking, …..
Given that we have to live with President Erkle for now I understand why we did not take any action. Perhaps BHO will give the NK’s an Ipod (with his propaganda) and make a deep bow to their Illustrious Leader.
One of BHO’s statements about the launch -”Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something.” Hmm, sure BHO, we know that you mean what you say.
I am not sure why Japan did not do anything. Approximate travel time for the rocket/missile from NK to mainland Japan only being about seven minutes?
Was going to say that I am very glad that I am not serving in the military under BHO, but as a civilian I am disgusted with BHO, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.
Just sayin’….
Oh no!
There are two Josh(s) now… Guess I’ll have to change my name. But I agree with him.
If you still trust the New York Slimes as a news source, the position “the missile was a failure” has more than a bit going for it. Lex, you’re entirely right that an ICBM warhead isn’t supposed to stay in orbit. However, apparently it does have to reach orbital altitude in order to achieve the high arc required for intercontinental range. Apparently the Norkay rocket didn’t even manage that. The second stage failed to fire properly, and it described a long low atmospheric arc that splashed it into the Pacific a thousand miles from nowhere.