View source for Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground

{{short description|Rocket launching site in North Korea}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox Korean name
|img=North Korea launch site in Sea of Japan map.png
|tablewidth – 20
|caption=Circle shows the North Korean Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground (previously Musudan-ri) in a regional context
|context=north
|hangul=무수단리
|hanja=舞水端里
|rr=Musudan-ri
|mr=Musudan-ri
}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name = Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground
|native_name = 무수단리
|location = North Korea
|map_type = North Korea
|coordinates = {{coord|40|51|30|N|129|41|11|E|type:landmark_region:KP|display=inline,title}}
|built = 1980s
|builder = North Korea
}}
{{GeoGroup}}
The '''Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground''' ({{Korean|hangul=동해위성발사장|context=north}}), also known as '''Musudan-ri''' ({{Korean|hangul=무수단리|context=north|labels=no}}),<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDowell |first=Jonathan |date=2 March 2009 |title=Jonathan's Space Report No. 607 |url=http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.607 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206082300/http://planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.607 |archive-date=6 December 2012 |access-date=6 April 2009}}</ref> is a [[rocket]] [[Rocket launch site|launching site]] in [[North Korea]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=28 December 2016 |title=Musudan |url=http://astronautix.com/m/musudan.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228061048/http://astronautix.com/m/musudan.html |archive-date=28 December 2016 |access-date=5 April 2024 |website=Encyclopedia Astronautica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Musudan-ri |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/dprk/nodong.htm |access-date=5 April 2024 |website=www.globalsecurity.org |archive-date=10 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110152356/https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/dprk/nodong.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GlobalSecurity.org - SITREP Situation Report {{!}} The Meaning of the North Korean Missile Launch |url=https://sitrep.globalsecurity.org/articles/090405289-the-meaning-of-north-korean-mi.htm |access-date=5 April 2024 |website=sitrep.globalsecurity.org |archive-date=10 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110221740/https://sitrep.globalsecurity.org/articles/090405289-the-meaning-of-north-korean-mi.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Location==
It lies in southern [[Hwadae]] County, [[North Hamgyong Province]], near [[Musu Dan]], the cape marking the northern end of the [[East Korea Bay]]. The area was formerly known as Taep'o-dong (대포동) during the period when [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea was occupied by Japan]], and the Taepodong rockets take their name from this. This single loose-surface road is susceptible to seasonal flooding. The site is 45&nbsp;km northeast of port city of [[Kimchaek]] and 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the town of Kilju (길주읍). There is a small wharf located at the [[fishing village]] of Tongha-dong but can only accommodate [[Marine vessel|vessels]] smaller than 40 meters in length.

==History==
By the early 1980s, North Korea needed a flight-test facility for its program to reverse-engineer and produce copies of the [[Scud-B]] which it acquired from the [[Soviet Union]] in the late 60s. Previously, North Korea used a facility at Hwajin-ri (華進里), Pyongwon-kun, South Pyongan Province to test for [[anti-ship missile]]s and probably [[2K6 Luna|FROG]]s, [[surface-to-air missile]]s (SAMs) and other rockets. However, Hawjin-ri had insufficient range for the [[Hwasong-5]], which would enter Chinese [[territorial waters]] during a test. The construction of the facility continued off and on throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Construction was made by the 117th Regiment under the Air Force Construction Bureau (空軍建設部) of the [[Ministry of People's Armed Forces]].<ref>"Two Facilities Seen at North Korean missile Base, Newspaper Says," Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 3 August 1999</ref> Construction of the launch pad was completed in 1985. During the early stage of construction, the site had an extremely rudimentary infrastructure, such as a few roads, a command bunker, a [[radar]] facility, and modest storage and support facilities.

However, by the early 1990s, the Tonghae site was reportedly expanded from 2&nbsp;km to 9&nbsp;km and the following infrastructure was added: a missile assembly facility, a fuel storage facility, a guidance and range control center, and tracking facilities.

The first launch from the site is reported to have occurred on 1 April 1984.<ref name=":0" /> Since that year, military rockets of the types [[Hwasong-5|Hwasong]], [[Rodong-1|Rodong]] and [[Taepodong-1]] were launched from Musudan-ri. In 1998, North Korean media reported the successful launch of the [[Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1]] satellite by a [[Paektusan (rocket)|Baekdusan-1]] SLV from Musudan-ri. North Korea claimed their first satellite was successfully placed into orbit, but no independent sources have confirmed this. A review of the rocket engine test stand on DigitalGlobe imagery coverage from 15 February 2002 to 26 February 2009 revealed a variety of activity, including drying grain on the concrete, the presence of cylindrical storage tanks and the arrival/departure of multiple support vehicles and personnel. A second failed satellite launch attempt [[Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2|apparently occurred in 2006]].

A total of 13 launches are reported from the site, with the last happening on 5 April 2009.<ref name=":0" /> The facility is in caretaker status as of 2020<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beyondparallel.csis.org/december-2019-update-tonghae-satellite-launching-ground/ |title=The Current State of North Korea's Satellite and Missile Facilities |author=Jacob Bogle |publisher=AccessDPRK |date=11 January 2020 |access-date=22 December 2020 |archive-date=23 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223154233/https://beyondparallel.csis.org/december-2019-update-tonghae-satellite-launching-ground/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and has been since 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beyondparallel.csis.org/december-2019-update-tonghae-satellite-launching-ground/ |title=December 2019 Update: Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground |author1=Joseph Bermudez |author2=Victor Cha |publisher=CSIS |date=17 December 2019 |access-date=22 December 2020 |archive-date=23 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223154233/https://beyondparallel.csis.org/december-2019-update-tonghae-satellite-launching-ground/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Facilities==
[[File:Facilities at Musudan-ri.png|thumbnail|right|Map showing missile assembly building at the left, and the launch pad at the right]]
[[File:Facilities at Musudan-ri part 2.png|thumbnail|right|The launch pad at the left, the rocket motor test stand at the right, marked with a red X]]
The facilities at Musudan-ri are modest, consisting of a disused [[launch pad]] at {{coord|40.8557|N|129.6660|E|region:KP-HAB_type:landmark|name=Launch pad}} and a new launch pad at {{coord|40.8582|N|129.6866|E}}. The disused launch pad consists of a 30-meter umbilical tower with a top-mounted gantry crane, a flame blast bucket, a launch blockhouse with a connecting access tunnel, two semi-buried [[liquid fuel]] storage buildings, a concrete apron/pad and multiple small support buildings.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/facility/musudan-ri.pdf |title="Musudan Test Facility", FAS |access-date=17 March 2012 |archive-date=16 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316221844/http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/facility/musudan-ri.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> An engine test stand at {{coord|40.8523|N|129.6799|E|region:KP-HAB_type:landmark|name=Engine test stand}}, a missile assembly/checkout building at {{coord|40.8558|N|129.6592|E|region:KP-HAB_type:landmark|name=Missile assembly/checkout building}}, a missile control building at {{coord|40.8630|N|129.6604|E|region:KP-HAB_type:landmark|name=Missile control building}} and a Ground Tracking Facility (coordinates obtained from [[Wikimapia]] in April 2024).

==See also==
* [[Sohae Satellite Launching Station]]
* [[Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site]]
* [[Korean People's Army]]
* [[Geography of North Korea]]
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==References==
{{reflist}}{{Spaceport}}
{{North Korean Space Program}}
{{Nuclear program of North Korea}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rocket launch sites in North Korea]]
[[Category:North Hamgyong]]
[[Category:Military installations of North Korea]]
[[Category:Nuclear program of North Korea]]
[[Category:Space program of North Korea]]