Korean Committee of Space Technology

The Korean Committee of Space Technology (KCST; , Hanja

Hanja

Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

: 朝鮮宇宙空間技術委員會) is the state-controlled space agency of North Korea

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

. Very little information on it is publicly available. It is known to be founded sometime in the 1980s, and most likely is connected to the Artillery Guidance Bureau

Artillery Guidance Bureau

The Artillery Guidance Bureau , also known as Missile Guidance Bureau is the strategic missile forces of North Korea. The AGB is a major division of the Korean People's Army that controls North Korea's nuclear and conventional strategic missiles...

of the Korean People's Army

Korean People's Army

The Korean People's Army , also known as the Inmin Gun, are the military forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission...

. The KCST is responsible for all operations concerning space exploration

Space exploration

Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....

and construction of satellites. On 12 March 2009 North Korea signed the Outer Space Treaty

Outer Space Treaty

The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that forms the basis of international space law...

and the Registration Convention

Registration Convention

The Convention on Registration of Launched Objects into Outer Space was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 and went into force in 1976....

, after a previous declaration of preparations for a new satellite launch

Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2

In this regard, a delegation of fifteen strong Iranian rocket scientists, including senior officials with Iranian rocket and satellite producer Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, has been in the DPRK since the beginning of March, to help prepare for the launch...

.

KCST operates the Musudan-ri (Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground)

Musudan-ri

The Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground, also known as Musudan-ri, is a rocket launching site in North Korea. It lies in southern North Hamgyong province, near the northern tip of the East Korea Bay...

Pongdong-ri (Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center) rocket launching sites, Baekdusan-1

Paektusan (rocket)

The Paektusan, also transliterated Baekdusan or Pekdosan is a North Korean expendable carrier rocket, derived from the Taepodong-1 intermediate-range ballistic missile...

and Unha (Baekdusan-2)

Unha

The Unha or Eunha is a North Korean expendable carrier rocket, which experts say utilises the same delivery system as the Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile...

launchers, Kwangmyŏngsŏng

Kwangmyŏngsŏng

The Kwangmyŏngsŏng programme is a class of experimental satellites developed by North Korea. The name Kwangmyŏngsŏng The Kwangmyŏngsŏng programme is a class of experimental satellites developed by North Korea. The name Kwangmyŏngsŏng The Kwangmyŏngsŏng programme is a class of experimental...

satellites. The DPRK twicely announced that it launched satellites Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1

Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1

Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 was a satellite allegedly launched by North Korea on 31 August 1998. While the North Korean government claimed that the launch was successful making North Korea the ninth country to launch a satellite, no objects were ever tracked in orbit from the launch, and outside North Korea...

at August 31, 1998 and Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2

Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2

at April 5, 2009. Both of these claims have not been confirmed elsewhere in the World, but the USA and South Korea estimated them as tests of military ballistic missiles.

In 2009 DPRK announced more ambitious future space projects including own manned space flights

Human spaceflight

Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....

and development of a manned partially reusable launch vehicle.

See also