<p>Construction at North Korea’s satellite launching station has hit a “new level of urgency,” most likely in preparation for a launch, a US-based think tank said in a report citing commercial satellite imagery.</p>.<p>North Korea says it has completed its first military spy satellite, and leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for a launch to place it in orbit, without publicising a date.</p>.<p>Commercial satellite imagery from Monday shows that progress on a new launch pad in a coastal area east of North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station is moving forward at a "remarkable pace", 38 North, a Washington-based programme that monitors North Korea, said in a report on Thursday.</p>.<p>"While the key components of the Sohae complex have been undergoing modernization and expansion over the past year, this uptick in activity suggests a new level of urgency in making the site ready to accommodate satellite launches," the report said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/south-korea-postpones-third-launch-of-homegrown-rocket-1221526.html" target="_blank">South Korea postpones third launch of homegrown rocket</a></strong></p>.<p>The new launch pad appears to feature a rail-mounted assembly structure, a possible mechanism for lifting a rocket into place, lighting towers, and a tunnel for funnelling flames away.</p>.<p>If it is meant to service liquid-fuelled rockets, additional infrastructure will most likely be needed, the report added.</p>.<p>At Sohae's main launch pad, crews appear to have completed modifications to the gantry tower, while work continues on a storage for fuel and oxidizer.</p>.<p>A new area for VIPs to observe launches also appears largely completed, 38 North concluded.</p>.<p>Analysts say a military satellite is part of the reclusive, nuclear-armed state's efforts to advance surveillance technology, including drones, to improve its ability to strike targets in the event of a conflict.</p>.<p>North Korea has tried several times to launch "earth observation" satellites, of which two appeared to have been successfully placed in orbit, including the latest in 2016.</p>.<p>International observers have said the satellite seemed to be under control, but there was lingering debate over whether it had sent any transmissions.</p>
<p>Construction at North Korea’s satellite launching station has hit a “new level of urgency,” most likely in preparation for a launch, a US-based think tank said in a report citing commercial satellite imagery.</p>.<p>North Korea says it has completed its first military spy satellite, and leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for a launch to place it in orbit, without publicising a date.</p>.<p>Commercial satellite imagery from Monday shows that progress on a new launch pad in a coastal area east of North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station is moving forward at a "remarkable pace", 38 North, a Washington-based programme that monitors North Korea, said in a report on Thursday.</p>.<p>"While the key components of the Sohae complex have been undergoing modernization and expansion over the past year, this uptick in activity suggests a new level of urgency in making the site ready to accommodate satellite launches," the report said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/south-korea-postpones-third-launch-of-homegrown-rocket-1221526.html" target="_blank">South Korea postpones third launch of homegrown rocket</a></strong></p>.<p>The new launch pad appears to feature a rail-mounted assembly structure, a possible mechanism for lifting a rocket into place, lighting towers, and a tunnel for funnelling flames away.</p>.<p>If it is meant to service liquid-fuelled rockets, additional infrastructure will most likely be needed, the report added.</p>.<p>At Sohae's main launch pad, crews appear to have completed modifications to the gantry tower, while work continues on a storage for fuel and oxidizer.</p>.<p>A new area for VIPs to observe launches also appears largely completed, 38 North concluded.</p>.<p>Analysts say a military satellite is part of the reclusive, nuclear-armed state's efforts to advance surveillance technology, including drones, to improve its ability to strike targets in the event of a conflict.</p>.<p>North Korea has tried several times to launch "earth observation" satellites, of which two appeared to have been successfully placed in orbit, including the latest in 2016.</p>.<p>International observers have said the satellite seemed to be under control, but there was lingering debate over whether it had sent any transmissions.</p>