North Korea announces plans to land man on the moon within the next 10 years.
Kim
Jong Un has ordered the space officials in the country to work on a plan
that will see North Korea put more advanced satellites into orbit above the earth and even
attempt a moon landing.
The country has been hit by series of international sanctions due to their nuclear and missile research activities.
A senior
official from the country's version of NASA cleared the doubt saying the sanctions would not
stop or affect the country from launching more satellites by 2020 and even planting the
North Korea flag on the moon within the next ten years.
Hyon
Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department of North
Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration gave a speech to the
Associated Press: 'Even though the U.S. and its allies try to block our
space development, we believe our scientists will conquer space and
definitely plant the countries flag on the moon.
Hyon
Kwang Il added that the first step in the research would focus on more observation satellites for earth which would be a
communications satellite and a technologically major step
forward.
He said universities are also expanding programs to train rocket scientists in the country.
Hyon Kwange
explained: 'We are really planning to develop the earth observation satellites
and to solve communications problems by developing geostationary
satellites. We believe all of this work will be the basis for the flight to the
moon
North
Korea has marked a number of successes in its space programme especially in its development of sophisticated long-range
missiles for military use.
It recently test-fired what was believed to be a medium-range
ballistic missile into the seas off Japan, the fourth reported weapons
launch the North has carried out in just two weeks.
North
Korea last launched its latest satellite which was on February 7 called — the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Brilliant Star
4 — , just one month after conducting what it
claims was its first H-bomb test.
That
brought about new sanctions and bans on nuclear tests and rocket launches, which
can have military applications.
Hyon Kwange called the sanctions as 'ridiculous', and also added: 'Our country has
started to accomplish our plans and we are gaining a lot of
successes.
he also added that 'No matter what anyone thinks, our country will launch more satellites.'
However,
an unmanned, no-frills North Korean moon mission in the not-too-distant
future can be conceivable and not just a dream experts says
And
while the U.S. is the only country to have ever conducted manned missions to the moon, other nations have sent unmanned spacecraft there and have in
that sense planted their flags.
