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Unha-2 ("Taepodong-2")
 Unha-2 (Kwangmyŏngsŏng 2) [KRT] |
The Unha rocket, which bears the western codename Taepodong-2, is North Koreas second attempt to produce a long range missile. It is thought to be capable to reach the western areas of the United States or to place a small satellite into orbit.
The Unha is a three stage launch vehicle. The rocket uses storable liquid fuel. The first stage is a new design, which features four Nodong class engines with four steering engines and is 2.40 m in diameter. It uses kerosene and nitric acid as propellants. The second stage with a 1.5 m diameter features a Scud-class engine and uses also kerosene and nitric acid. The 1.2 m diameter third stage could be related to the second stage of the Iranian Safir rocket and uses UDMH and NTO as fuels.
A second launch attempt of an Unha family rocket featuring the three stage rocket Unha-2 was conducted in April 2009, but failed to orbit its payload.
An improved version was built under the designation Unha-3.
| Version | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unha-2 | Stage 1 / 4 × Nodong-class engine | Stage 2 / Scud-class engine | Stage 3 / 2 × ? |
| Performance (kg) | LEO | LPEO | SSO | GTO | GEO | MolO | IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unha-2 | ? | ? | ? | - | - | - | - |
No: TNo: Type Date LS Payload
2 1 Unha-2 05.04.2009 F To Kwangmyŏngsŏng 2 Launch sites: To = Tonghae (Musudan-ri), Hwadae County, Hamgyong Province, North Korea* = suborbital Failures: 2: Stage 3 failed
