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Elon Musk tamped down expectations about Space Exploration Technologies Corp. 's new rocket designed to carry private citizens into space, saying whoever chooses to be among the first passengers will need to be "brave."

The SpaceX Falcon Heavy, a rocket with two extra boosters attached and a total of 27 engines that must fire simultaneously, will have enormous stresses and has been difficult to test on the ground, Musk said Wednesday in Washington.

He jokingly urged attendees of a conference on the International Space Station to watch the first attempted launch.
Read More: We're Tracking Every Project Elon Musk Has Dreamed Up
"It's guaranteed to be exciting," he said. When asked whether the risks would make potential customers pause before signing up for a flight, he said: "I want to make sure we set expectations accordingly."

SpaceX has an ambitious agenda for the cosmos in coming years. The company began taking deposits from private citizens for a trip around the moon on the Falcon Heavy rocket. And it is working with NASA to carry astronauts to the International Space Station. But the company has only transported cargo so far, and Musk said shifting to carrying passengers is "a huge step up."

Getting certified to carry NASA astronauts has been a challenge for SpaceX, as there is a much higher bar than transporting hardware for the agency, Musk said. He called NASA's oversight for "really tough" but justified because of the potential risks to humans.

"It's the right motivation," he said.
Why Trump and Musk Are Looking Toward Moon and Mars: QuickTake
SpaceX and NASA are now working through some "small technical bones of contention" for certification to carry passengers, he said. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates commercial space flight separately from NASA, hasn't yet set certification standards for carrying private citizens for hire.

The company continues its attempts to reuse more of its rockets and launch equipment, a more-efficient approach that has been the biggest innovation in space flight in recent years, Musk said.

SpaceX has successfully landed its rocket boosters and used them again. It's now "quite close" to being able to reuse the fairing that clamps over the rocket's payload, a relatively light-weight aerodynamic cover, he said.

The fairing costs between $5 and $6 million. "Imagine we have a pallet of cash worth $6 million dollars falling through the sky," Musk said he has told his staff. "Would we try to catch it? I say we do."

He didn't provide details about how the fairing would be captured.
Bloomberg's Vonnie Quinn Looks at Elon Musk's Successes and Setbacks
Musk's talk on Wednesday was to an overwhelmingly friendly audience of scientists as eager as he is to explore space. Topics ranged from how his project to build tunnels to stem the Los Angeles region's traffic congestion might help colonize Mars to the health risks of traveling beyond Earth's atmosphere.

He downplayed the potential for human conflict on Mars, calling it "pretty open territory" where competing entities could find plenty of room without challenging each others' claims. After praising NASA and noting it stood to get increased federal funding, he drew applause.

The billionaire entrepreneur said development of the Falcon Heavy had been much tougher than he imagined. By adding two additional boosters to each side of a rocket, it added to the vibrations, created new stresses to the main rocket and was difficult to test without an actual launch.

"There is a lot of risk associated with Falcon Heavy, a real good chance that that vehicle doesn't make it to orbit," he said. "I'm saying full disclosure here, man."
Read More on Reusable Rockets Powering a Space Taxi Future
Government reviews have echoed some of his concerns. The Government Accountability Office found earlier this year that SpaceX and competitor Boeing Co. must contend with potential safety hazards that may postpone approvals for transporting astronauts until 2019. A U.S. contract with Russia for transportation to the space station expires that year.

The GAO's findings follow a September report by NASA's Office of Inspector General, which warned of "multiple challenges that will likely delay the first routine flight carrying NASA astronauts to the ISS until late 2018." Agency funding challenges, delays in NASA's evaluation process and technical challenges with spacecraft designs have all contributed to the program falling behind schedule.

There have been two major mishaps with its rockets since 2015, a sign of how difficult rocket science can be.

On June 28, 2015, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket disintegrated shortly after launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Another Falcon 9 blew up on the ground in Florida.

But SpaceX has also had numerous successes, making it one of the most formidable companies in the space market. It has pioneered reusable rockets, for example, which it has successfully landed in Cape Canaveral and on an ocean barge.

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Musk Says First Passengers on SpaceX Rockets Must Be 'Brave'

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Elon Musk tamped down expectations about Space Exploration Technologies Corp. 's new rocket designed to carry private citizens into space, saying whoever chooses to be among the first passengers will need to be "brave."

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A new SpaceX? China developing system for recycling space rockets

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China is developing a system to recover parts of rockets used in space launches to bring down costs and make its space programme more commercially competitive, according to researchers involved in...

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Not sure if this is revelant :)

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The chairman of the Indian space agency, A. S. Kiran Kumar, has said that commercial fees covered around half of the cost of Wednesday's mission.

"I'm sure the global market will be looking at this pretty closely," Mr. Bhaskar said. "If they can send 90 of them up for $10 million, hypothetically, then just by Moore's Law, next time they should be able to send 120 satellites." Moore's L aw originated in the semiconductor industry and held that the number of components that could be crammed onto a computer chip would double at regular intervals.

The previous record was set by Russia's space agency, which launched 37 satellites into orbit with one rocket in 2014.

India is fascinated with world records, and Wednesday's satellite launch prompted a wave of celebratory crowing, some of it aimed at Asian rivals. Many declared it a "century," a term for a cricketing milestone when a single batsman manages to score 100 runs in a single innings.

The president, Pranab Mukherjee, called it "a landmark in the history of our space program," while Alok Kumar Dubey, a right-wing activist, said on Twitter, "Look china, pak THIS is Our power."

The Indian Space Research Organization has gained attention in recent years for staging successful missions at very low cost, in part because its scientists are paid less.

In 2014, India sent a spacecraft to Mars for $74 million, a small fraction of the $671 million the United States spent for a Mars mission that same year, and showing up a regional rival, China, whose own Mars mission failed in 2012.

By charging significantly less to launch satellites into space, India could carve out a niche in the $3 billion to $4 billion market for detailed information about climate, topography and defense, Mr. Bhaskar said.

Robbie Schingler, a former NASA scientist and a co-founder of Planet Labs, described himself as "ecstatic."

"The sequencing needed to be very precise," he said. "It worked perfectly and flawlessly."

Shri G. Madhavan Nair, a former chairman of India's space program, said newer satellites weigh as little as two pounds, meaning that there is "no limit" to the number that can be launched into space at a time - a trend that he said worried him, as most satellites are operational for only two or three years.

"We are all concerned about space debris," he said. "After that, it becomes a dead mass floating in space. Personally, I will not recommend such an increase in the number without a practical purpose."

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India Launches 104 Satellites From a Single Rocket, Ramping Up a Space Race

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The chairman of the Indian space agency, A. S. Kiran Kumar, has said that commercial fees covered around half of the cost of Wednesday's mission. "I'm sure the global market will be looking at this pretty closely," Mr. Bhaskar said.

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North Korea's Global Impact

Source: Photo illustration by Darnitra D. Jackson/The Real Truth

Patriotic music blares as missiles streak through the air in rapid-fire succession and explode along the horizon, tossing huge plumes of dark smoke into the air. Valiant soldiers parachute into Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, and take captive 150,000 United States expatriates and soldiers.

A caption reads, "North Korea has succeeded in proceeding with this nuclear test despite the United States' increasingly unfair bully activities against North Korea."

The film, as translated by The Telegraph, is another saber-rattling media broadcast shown by the North Korean government in its "military propaganda war" that aims to demonstrate that no nation is too large for it to defeat.

Since the sudden death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and the ascension of his son and successor, Kim Jong Un, these broadcasts have been occurring more frequently. The nuclear-armed nation is continually ratcheting up its rhetoric against the United States and other countries it perceives are in its way.

This has caused concern across the globe regarding the stability of the country.

Kim Jong Il kept the region on edge with what the Financial Times called "deft brinkmanship" during his 17 years as ruler of the impoverished communist nation. But officials worry his son, who became leader a little over a year ago, may continue to assert his authority via military aggression.

Already the nation detonated its third nuclear test and brazenly shredded the armistice agreement it signed with South Korea in 1953. Shortly thereafter, the country cut off all channels of communication with South Korea, ordered its artillery to be combat-ready, and issued threats of preemptive nuclear strikes against the United States and South Korea. Even more, it declared that nuclear war is now unavoidable and warned Japan that Tokyo would be the first target.

These defiant acts clearly signal North Korea's hardline determination to increase its military standing.

But as imposing as the country's rhetoric and actions may be, there is a greater issue roiling under the surface: "Though [the nation's capital] Pyongyang has threatened to launch nuclear strikes on the U.S., the most immediate threat posed by its nuclear technology may be North Korea's willingness to sell it to nations that Washington sees as sponsors of terrorism. The fear of such sales was highlighted [in late March], when Japan confirmed that cargo seized last year and believed to be from North Korea contained material that could be used to make nuclear centrifuges, which are crucial to enriching uranium into bomb fuel," The Associated Press reported.

"Outside nuclear specialists believe North Korea has enough nuclear material for several crude bombs, but they have yet to see proof that Pyongyang can build a warhead small enough to mount on a missile. The North, however, may be able to help other countries develop nuclear expertise right now, as it is believed to have done in the past" (ibid.).

This was confirmed recently when it was revealed that the nation may have the potential to load a nuclear device onto a missile.

During a House Armed Services Committee, a Colorado congressman read a line from a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report that stated, "DIA assess with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles, however, the reliability will be low."

With a history of unpredictable and confrontational behavior, how will the global ripple effects of an aggressive, nuclear North Korea shape the future balance of world power?

Aggressive Stance

The North Korean government heads the fourth-largest standing army on Earth-more than one million soldiers-as well as a civil defense force group of about 5.7 million people.

"Pyongyang also commands a formidable artillery force numbering some 12,000 guns that some fear it would use as an opening gambit in a war with South Korea to shell Seoul, which lies only about 20 miles from the tense demilitarized zone that separates the two countries," NPR reported.

For decades, North Korea has made a continued effort to develop into a world military power, most notably pursuing nuclear capability.

In 1994, after years of diplomatic wrangling, the nation agreed to suspend all nuclear-related activities in exchange for fuel, food and financial aid, primarily from the U.S. and China.

The agreement, however, was short-lived. In 2002, Pyongyang restarted its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and expelled UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitors. The following year, it withdrew from the international nonproliferation treaty.

Proceeding events created a vicious cycle of nuclear advancement and international sanctions. In 2006, North Korea conducted its first nuclear test, which elicited military and economic restrictions from the United Nations. Then in 2007, "Pyongyang agreed to shut down its main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon in return for aid and diplomatic concessions.

"But negotiations stalled as North Korea accused its negotiating partners-the US, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia-of failing to meet agreed obligations," BBC wrote.

The media outlet stated that in May 2009, "Barely a month after North Korea walked out of international talks on its nuclear programme, it carried out its second underground nuclear test, which was said to be more powerful than the first.

"Russia's defence ministry estimated a blast of up to 20 kilotons, a similar size to the American bombs that completely destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945."

After even tighter sanctions from the UN and U.S., North Korea agreed to resume peace talks.

A year later, a tour of a North Korean uranium enrichment plant was given to a U.S. atomic scientist. Although the plant was said to be for civilian nuclear power, the scientist said he was astounded by its sophistication and that it could easily be converted into a weapons-grade processing facility.

In December 2012, Pyongyang successfully launched a three-stage rocket, which increased its scope of attack. Two months following the launch, another nuclear test was conducted, reported to have been "miniaturized and lighter" so as to be placed on a long-range missile.

Despite international warnings, North Korea has defiantly stated it has the right to a nuclear "self-defense" deterrent and continues to develop its missile and nuclear program.

This belligerent approach has strained its relationships with the United States, South Korea, Japan and even China, all of which are concerned about Pyongyang's military intentions. As a result, North Korea is widely seen as the greatest threat to peace in the Far East.

Economic Distress

North Korea's impact on the world scene outweighs its size. Bordered by Russia, China and South Korea, it has a population of 24 million in a landmass slightly smaller than the state of Mississippi. The communist country is perhaps the most isolated, highly controlled in the world. Citizens are closely monitored and the government restricts travel into and out of the country.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Korean peninsula was under Japanese rule. Following Japan's surrender in World War II, the Soviet Union infiltrated the northern portion of the country and the United States the southern portion. This split the nation into two occupation zones along the 38 degrees north latitude line known as the 38th parallel. As time progressed, the divisions politically and socially polarized-traditional communist ideals in the North and free-market capitalism in the South.

In the late 1940s, Kim Il Sung rose to power and established a communist government in the North: "While promising great wealth for his country, Kim suppressed his people and fashioned a militaristic society. In 1950, he instigated the Korean War following an attempt to reunify the peninsula. (He was rebuffed by U.S. and UN forces.)

"After the war, the state-run economy, based on Kim's philosophy of 'self-reliance' [known as "juche"], grew fairly rapidly but stagnated in the 1990s," according to Time magazine.

During that decade, the country's economy declined dramatically under a combination of economic mismanagement, natural disasters, fertilizer shortages, and the collapse of its main benefactor, the Soviet Union. For an economy that was never robust to begin with, the results were catastrophic. Poor agricultural yields led to severe food shortages and widespread starvation. It is estimated that during its time of economic decline, between 900,000 and 3.5 million North Koreans-4 percent to 15 percent of the population-starved to death. Since then, the country has relied heavily on aid from China, South Korea, the U.S., and other international agencies to feed its population.

"North Korea's history is marred by decades of unimaginable famine. In 2011, Freedom House listed the regime as one of the seven worst violators of human rights in the world. It is a place where political prisoners languish in gulags [Stalin-era labor camps], escaped defectors testify of cannibalism, and famines decimate the population," CNN reported.

Food shortages continue today mainly due to a lack of arable land, inefficient farming practices, and shortages of tractors and fuel.

The nation's military-first policy has not helped either. It is estimated that North Korea spends one-third of its gross domestic product (GDP) on the military, the highest rate in the world. (By comparison, its rival South Korea spends only 2.8 percent of GDP on its military.) This has enabled North Korea to have a standing army of one million soldiers and a formidable arsenal of biological, chemical and conventional weapons.

With little over a year under his belt, the nation's new supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, has proven to follow the same ideology as his predecessors.

"In 2012, Kim Jong Un's first year of leadership, the North displayed increased focus on the economy by renewing its commitment to special economic zones with China, negotiating a new payment structure to settle its $11 billion Soviet-era debt to Russia, and purportedly proposing new agricultural and industrial policies to boost domestic production," The World Factbook stated. "The North Korean government often highlights its goal of becoming a 'strong and prosperous' nation and attracting foreign investment, a key factor for improving the overall standard of living. Nevertheless, firm political control remains the government's overriding concern, which likely will inhibit fundamental reforms of North Korea's current economic system."

International Concerns

In 2003, a group of the world's leading nations initiated "Six-Party Talks" in an attempt to persuade the North Korean government to give up its nuclear ambitions, with the proposed incentive of receiving increased economic aid as well as a security agreement from Washington not to attack North Korea.

After several rounds of talks, little progress was made. Then in 2009, after receiving condemnation and expanded sanctions from the United Nations for launching a missile, the country announced it was permanently withdrawing from disarmament talks.

As it presses ahead with its nuclear program, Pyongyang's aggressive stance is causing rippling effects across the world scene.

South Korea: Political polarization between North and South Korea has prevented any lasting peace on the peninsula. An armistice was signed in 1953 that ended the Korean War, yet the two nations have continued to be at odds and tension has not fully dissipated.

In 2000, South Korean President Kim Dae Jung instituted what was termed a "sunshine policy," which thawed relations with its northern counterpart. But all of this was undone in 2002 when Pyongyang reactivated its nuclear reactor and expelled foreign nuclear inspectors.

Advances in North Korea's weapons testing and bold rhetoric within the past year have intensified hostilities to a degree reminiscent of the Cold War. In retaliation, Seoul announced that it would accelerate missile development with a range that would bring all of North Korea within its reach.

United States: America has thousands of troops stationed in South Korea, with potential reinforcements on its military bases in Japan.

Due to North Korea's intensifying threats, AFP reported that the United States signed a pact with South Korea that "guarantees US support for any South Korean retaliation and allows Seoul to request any additional US military force it deems necessary."

For further reassurance, "US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told his South Korean counterpart that Seoul could rely on all the military protection the United States has to offer-nuclear, conventional and missile defence" ( The Telegraph).

Japan: Tokyo and Pyongyang have not had diplomatic relations for some time. The two countries are historical enemies, with bitterness rising to new heights after Japan's occupation of Korea and the atrocities it committed in World War II. Contentious relations continued in the second half of the 20th century. For example, in the 1970s and 80s, North Korean spies abducted a number of Japanese nationals, which sparked national outrage.

Now with North Korea's repeated test-firing of missiles over Japanese territory and direct threats to attack the nation, Japan aims to strengthen its own military defense and integrated capabilities with the United States.

Middle East: Pyongyang is said to have provided weapons to a number of Middle Eastern nations including Iran. It is also believed to be a sponsor of terrorism.

As the state of Israel is supported by the U.S., Arab nations have long sought sponsorship for their cause. A well-armed North Korea provides a potentially attractive option, particularly for weapons procurement and military training. The benefit of such a relationship for North Korea would be the ability to obtain large quantities of cheap oil, which it desperately needs.

China: Since its founding, North Korea has had close ties with the Chinese government, its main supplier of food and fuel. China has an interest in building a stable North Korea, chiefly because of the threat of millions of refugees streaming over its border in search of food.

However, relations between the two countries have cooled in recent years due to North Korea's volatile behavior. In an unexpected move, China completely halted its crude oil exports to the country in response to its illegal nuclear test in February.

With its recent posturing, the question could be asked: will Beijing be able to persuade North Korea to cooperate with the world community as it continues to advance its nuclear program?

According to Der Speigel, the answer is yes.

"...German commentators say that sanctions and other existing measures are not doing much to deter North Korea from its nuclear ambitions, and suggest taking a different approach.

"The center-left Suddeutsche Zeitung writes:

"'The country has actually become rather predictable in its provocations, which above all serve one goal: to demonstrate the power of the ruling Kim clan to the world. North Korea's regime does not act unpredictably. It acts irresponsibly.'

"'As predictable as [a particular] nuclear test was, the reaction was also to be expected. Governments around the world are indignant, including the country's friends in Beijing. The US is demanding a sharpening of existing sanctions in the UN Security Council, which further condemned North Korea in a new resolution. After some hesitation China also approved it. Fundamentally the response to the latest nuclear test was not different from the second one. In reality the test has changed little regarding the region's status quo and geo-strategy with regards to the US.'

"'Still the tests are highly dangerous. They show that the young Kim is prepared to take big risks...And the nuclear program has another dark side of proliferation because North Korea is a [weapons] exporter...What would prevent a player such as the dictator in Pyongyang from selling knowledge and even material to Iran or other nations?'

"'In reality there is no satisfactory answer to this question. The only ones with a chance of success of finding an answer are the Chinese.'

"'Meanwhile, Chinese calculations appear to be shifting. A government newspaper in Beijing spoke of the "high price" that North Korea will pay in the case of nuclear tests. One does not know how the government in Pyongyang will actually react to pressure from Beijing. But now is the time to try it out. The Chinese must take responsibility for its irresponsible neighbor. And they must do it now.'"

A Los Angeles Times article titled, "North Korea, China's Problem Child," concurred.

"Although China has new leadership that may be reevaluating its approach to its troublesome neighbor, an unusual amalgam of factors-historical, ideological, strategic and economic-make North Korea something of a sacred cow in Chinese public discourse.

"'North Korea is a sensitive subject. It used to be impossible to write anything negative about it,' said Zhan Jiang, a journalism professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He said the taboo is gradually lifting. 'Even the most hard-core leftists are becoming less supportive of North Korea. It is really hard to call them brother when they give you so much trouble.'"

"In a speech...at an international forum, newly installed Chinese President Xi Jinping condemned countries that 'throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gains,' but he did not specifically mention North Korea.

"'The favorable opinion of the Chinese public toward Pyongyang is fading,' the Communist Party-affiliated newspaper Global Times cautiously wrote in an editorial...It warned that North Korea's 'latest provocation is further damaging its reputation and exhausting its future ability to use deterrence strategies.'

"'It is like discussing a child who is good, but is behaving rottenly,' said John Park of Harvard University's Belfer Center, describing China's attitudes toward North Korea.

"North Korea owes its continued existence to China, which intervened on its behalf in the 1950-53 Korean War and today supplies it with most of its fuel oil and such consumer products as umbrellas and shampoo.

"Although the current Chinese leaders came of age after the war, several of them have close Korean ties."

"'The Korean War is part of the Chinese identity. It was really the first time after the Opium War that China stood up and successfully stopped the West,' said John Delury, a Chinese studies professor teaching at Seoul's Yonsei University."

"But some Chinese still admire North Korea's undiluted brand of communism.

"'It is the pure land for some people who feel China's getting soft,' said Adam Cathcart, a lecturer at Queen's University Belfast, who writes a blog about Chinese-North Korean relations. 'Between China and North Korea, there is a lot of cultural compatibility...You see the patriotic operas, the waving of the red handkerchiefs.'"

Future Situation

Escalating threats have done much to inspire rumors of war. Conflict seems inevitable.

Intelligence specialists, military experts, and government leaders monitor and try to understand this and other geopolitical situations. They analyze possible scenarios and posit questions in an effort to figure out the answers in advance.

Each analyst has his own particular lens through which he views a scenario. For example, if Seoul becomes a nuclear power, what does that mean for a region whose history is wrought with territorial disputes? How would America, which is barely staying afloat and cutting back on its own military expenditures, be able to shoulder another conflict? Would North Korea's actions give rise to Japanese nationalism and, as many worry, the emergence of Japan as a military and strategic counterweight? Where does China fit into the picture?

While all possible situations are discussed, no human being can precisely predict the decisions a rogue nation will make or how the outcome will affect the world's future.

Among these perspectives, though, one is dismissed: the Bible. It is the one source that lays out-in advance!-the future. Viewed through the lens of this Book, the geopolitical future of the Far East becomes crystal clear.

The Bible explains that three power blocs will soon vie for world influence. Two are symbolically known as the "king of the north" and the "king of the south" ( Dan. 11). A third power is described in the New Testament book of Revelation as "the kings of the east" ( 16:12).

A confederation of Asian nations, which will include North Korea but likely be led by Russia and China, will emerge. This is described in Editor-in-Chief David C. Pack's book The Bible's Greatest Prophecies Unlocked! - A Voice Cries Out.

"Many sense that the differences between and within nations are intensifying and are threatening to spin out of control. New and different power blocs are forming, with traditional alliances wavering, waning or disappearing."

This is already taking place, with certain larger nations already playing a more central role on the world scene.

Pay attention as these countries, although seemingly separate now, work together to form a power bloc that will affect events-during your lifetime!-in a way that was foretold long ago.

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Source: Photo illustration by Darnitra D. Jackson/The Real Truth Patriotic music blares as missiles streak through the air in rapid-fire succession and explode along the horizon, tossing huge plumes of dark smoke into the air. Valiant soldiers parachute into Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, and take captive 150,000 United States expatriates and soldiers.

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North Korea's missile arsenal is under the control of the Strategic Rocket Forces, based South Pyongan province, outside Pyongyang.

A branch of the Korean People's Army, it operates six primary fixed launch sites but also has mobile tractor-erector-launcher units that are able to travel around the country and launch missiles, making them more difficult to track.

The North's early missiles were copies of Russian Scud-class weapons but the regime has invested heavily in developing advanced new missiles in recent years.

In total, North Korea is believed to have around 1,000 ballistic missiles, although the majority are shorter-range weapons - with ranges of between 30 miles and 300 miles - aimed at targets in South Korea.

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How far can North Korean missiles travel? Everything you need to know

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North Korea's missile arsenal is under the control of the Strategic Rocket Forces, based South Pyongan province, outside Pyongyang. A branch of the Korean People's Army, it operates six primary fixed launch sites but also has mobile tractor-erector-launcher units that are able to travel around the country and launch missiles, making them more difficult to track.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects the long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) [KCNA via Reuters/File photo]

Since Kim Jong-un's ascendancy in December 2011, North Korea has accelerated its missile development programme, the tempo of tests increasing considerably from those under his father Kim Jong Il. After failures in 2016, North Korea has this year made bold advances in its missile programme.

Kim Jong-un moved closer to make good on his threats to reduce the US "to ashes" with the July 28 launch of a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), claiming that this flight test demonstrates the capability of the missiles to reach the US mainland. This test comes just weeks after Pyongyang tested what it claimed to be the country's first ICBM.

Immediately following the July 28 launch, US and South Korean forces conducted live-fire exercises and the US flew two supersonic B-1B jets over the Korean peninsula in a show of force. US ambassador to the UN stated that the US is "done talking about North Korea" while Donald Trump and Japan's Shinzo Abe have agreed that it is time to take action against Pyongyang.

Here are three of North Korea's recent technical milestones in long-range missile technology which stand out and why they matter.

1. Firing almost vertically and reaching higher altitudes

There are significant challenges to testing a long-range missile in a country that is too small to run test flights within its own border. Initially, North Korea's only option was to launch these flights over its neighbours. It did that in 1998 by test-firing the Taepodong-1 missile over mainland Japan, to instant international condemnation.

Now, North Korea has started launching longer-range missiles in what is known as a "lofted trajectory", firing the missile almost vertically. This allows the missile to land a short horizontal distance from launch but travel a great distance overall. Higher altitudes are a strong indication of new, more powerful engines and a greater ability to carry a payload that distance.

These launches enable Pyongyang to conduct realistic tests of longer-range missiles. They also allow engineers to gather data sent back from the test missile to better understand the challenges faced when a long-range warhead re-enters the Earth's atmosphere at hypersonic speeds, something that generates vast amounts of frictional heat.

This is exactly what North Korea did when it tested the Hwasong-14 (Mars-14) on July 4.

According to the US military's Pacific Command, or PACOM, which monitors these launches, it flew for 37 minutes, rising to a maximum altitude (known as an apogee) of nearly 2,800km, over seven times higher than the International Space Station which is in orbit only some 400km above the Earth.

A steep, near-vertical launch allowed the missile to travel a distance that roughly simulated long-range flight by travelling higher than most missiles but splashing down only a short distance away into the Sea of Japan, limiting the diplomatic damage that would inevitably be caused by a random projectile flying through a neighbour's airspace.

The ICBM, a clunky Cold War-era name for a long-range missile, is formally defined as one that can fly more than 5,500km.

According to David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists, if the Hwasong-14 was fired under proper flight conditions, it could reach a target more than 6,700km away. This puts the missile firmly in the long-range or ICBM bracket, and means it could potentially hit the US base on the island of Guam as well as Alaska, although the naval base on Hawaii and the rest of the continental US are still out of reach.

2. Solid fuel means faster launches

First tested by the North just over a decade, ago solid-fuelled missiles are faster to set up and easier to fire.

Unlike liquid fuels, which take time to load and are extremely toxic and corrosive to handle, solid fuels are easier to maintain and are more stable. A crude analogy between the two is to liken solid-fuelled missiles to setting off gunpowder-filled fireworks rather than filling each one with liquid fuel every time you wanted to fire one. Solid fuel reduces launch times from hours to minutes.

Reducing the time from when a missile battery is taken out into the open to be readied for a launch, and therefore is exposed to enemy observation, makes it far less likely to be discovered and destroyed. Using solid fuels also scales back on the additional vehicles needed to transport volatile and dangerous liquid fuels, making a missile battery smaller and harder to spot. As this fuel is more stable, it can also take a few knocks when moved around.

3. Toughening up missile batteries

Fortifying a missile battery so it can travel anywhere on land rather than along North Korea's tiny road system - the country has 724km of paved and 24,830km of unpaved roads respectively - gives it more places to hide.

North Korea has done this by ruggedising the missile transporter (formally called a transporter erector launcher or TEL). Tracks are used instead of wheels, allowing the heavy vehicles to cross rough ground off the road system, which would be monitored by an enemy trying to track down missile batteries. The thin-skinned missile is also sheathed in a canister so it survives bumpy off-road travel.

These improvements came together in the successful February launch of the Pukguksong-2 (Polaris-2) medium-range missile. Analysts across the world quickly realised the test's importance as the combination of solid fuel, a ruggedised transporter and a protected weapon, meant a battery could potentially hide in forests, underneath cliff overhangs, under bridges - virtually anywhere - and launch within minutes from a cold start.

What is next for North Korea's missile programme?

Producing next-generation missiles that can reach the US will be key for North Korea.

This will not be an easy feat given the trickier aspects of long-range flight. Designs must be able to withstand the stresses and incredible heat produced in missiles by re-entering the atmosphere.

The challenges will come from improving the warhead and delivery system and coupling the two. North Korean scientists will struggle to extend the missiles' ranges while shrinking their still rudimentary nuclear devices so theý are light enough to be carried by the missile to the target.

Then there is the quest for accuracy, if the missiles are to have any military use.

North Korea has bragged that its latest batch of missile tests were extremely accurate. It is still vague how this accuracy is being assessed given that North Korea does not have a network of satellites able to guide distant warheads to their targets, relying on the projectiles' much less accurate inertial guidance system.

This electronic system is used in older missiles such as the Scud. It works on the principle of the missile using internally measured basic data on its speed, direction, and so on, to try to roughly assess where it ended up rather than being told where it was exactly by, say, the Global Positioning System (GPS).

If the sharp tempo of tests doesn't abate, North Korea is likely to see substantial improvements in its missile programme. Kim Jong-un seems determined to "frequently send big and small 'gift packages' to the Yankees", as he instructed scientists after the July 4 test, according to the country's state media KCNA.

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Three things to know about North Korea's missile tests

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Since Kim Jong-un's ascendancy in December 2011, North Korea has accelerated its missile development programme, the tempo of tests increasing considerably from those under his father Kim Jong Il. After failures in 2016, North Korea has this year made bold advances in its missile programme.

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A U.S. Ground-Based Interceptor launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on May 30, 2017 during a successful live-fire missile defense test. The interceptor destroyed a target launched from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

Credit: U.S. Missile Defense Agency

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

North Korea's test this week of an intercontinental ballistic missile has reignited interest and debate on the feasibility of ballistic missile defense systems, and whether countries such as Australia should seek to acquire them.

But what are these systems, and how do they work? How effective would they be in providing a defense against a potential missile attack?

All ballistic missile defense systems consist of a network of tracking and guidance radars, and the interceptor launchers.

On detecting a ballistic missile launch, the radars track the missile's trajectory, fire an interceptor to shoot it down, and prepare further interceptors to be launched if the first one misses.

This is referred to as a "shoot-look-shoot" strategy, as opposed to a strategy of saturation - where the defender simply shoots as many interceptors as possible in the hope of achieving a kill.

Modern defense systems use interceptor missiles carrying kinetic kill vehicles. These are warheads that are non-explosive and designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles by simply crashing into them.

All of the systems mentioned below are intended to work in conjunction with one another. They are integrated to provide the ability to shoot down ballistic missiles throughout their flight path. However, they are also capable of operating independently, although with less effectiveness than if operated in conjunction with other systems.

The US and its allies in the Asia-Pacific currently deploy several ballistic missile defense systems. These would be used in the unlikely event that North Korea decided to actually launch a ballistic missile attack.

The first and most prominent is Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, which the US has deployed in South Korea. THAAD is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles in the terminal phase of flight - that is, as the ballistic missile is re-entering the atmosphere to strike its target.

The second relevant system is Patriot PAC-3, which is designed to provide late terminal phase interception - that is, after the missile has re-entered the atmosphere. It is deployed by US forces operating in the region, as well as Japan.

Perhaps the most capable system currently in operation in the region is the Aegis naval system, which is deployed on US and Japanese destroyers. It is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in the mid-course phase of flight - that is, when the missile is outside of earth's atmosphere and transiting to its target.

What all of these systems have in common is they are theatre ballistic missile defense systems, designed to provide protection against short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Intercontinental ballistic missiles, such as the one tested by North Korea this week, fly too high and fast for these systems to engage with.

Aegis has demonstrated some limited capability to engage targets similar to intercontinental ballistic missiles. It was used to shoot down a malfunctioning spy satellite in 2008, but has never been tested against an actual intercontinental ballistic missile target.

The only system expressly designed to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles is the US Ground-based Midcourse Defense. However, this has a very patchy record in testing. By the end of 2017 it will only have 44 interceptors deployed.

None of these systems is 100% effective, and most have an iffy record in testing. Aegis has succeeded in 35 out of 42 tests, while Ground-based Midcourse Defense has had only ten successes in 18 tests. However, THAAD has been successful in 18 out of 18 tests.

Tests are conducted in favourable conditions - and it is reasonable to expect the success rates to be lower in actual combat use.

The true difficulty lies with intercontinental ballistic missiles. An intercontinental ballistic missile can attain altitudes well in excess of low earth orbit. Those fired on a typical long-range trajectory can exceed 1,200 km in altitude. The high-trajectory, short-range test shot North Korea conducted this week attained an altitude of 2,700km.

By way of comparison, the International Space Station orbits at an altitude of around 400km.

However, the altitude intercontinental ballistic missiles attain is only part of the problem. The other major challenge facing ballistic missile defense is the truly enormous speeds that missiles attain during the terminal phase. They often hit or exceed 20 times the speed of sound.

A common comparison used is that ballistic missile defense is akin to shooting a bullet in flight with another bullet. The reality is even more extreme.

For example, a .300 Winchester Magnum (a high-velocity hunting and sniper round) can achieve a velocity of 2,950 feet per second as it leaves the barrel. This equates to 3,237 km/h, or 2.62 times the speed of sound. An intercontinental ballistic missile can achieve speeds almost eight times faster than this. As a result, it is almost impossible to reliably defend against such missiles.

This is not necessarily a problem for countries such as Japan and South Korea. Any ballistic missile used by North Korea against them would be a shorter-range ballistic missile that these systems could engage.

However, countries should be mindful that these systems provide limited-to-no capability to defend against intercontinental ballistic missiles. In Australia's case, the only missiles capable of reaching this far from North Korea are intercontinental ballistic missiles. Thus, even if Australia decided to invest in ballistic missile defense, it would provide little-to-no protection from a potential North Korean nuclear attack.

James Dwyer, Teaching Fellow and PhD Candidate, Politics and International Relations Program, University of Tasmania

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates - and become part of the discussion - on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Space.com.

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What is Ballistic Missile Defense and Would it Stop a Missile from North Korea?

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This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. North Korea's test this week of an intercontinental ballistic missile has reignited interest and debate on the feasibility of ballistic missile defense systems, and whether countries such as Australia should seek to acquire them.

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north korea missile tests: what you need to know - cnn

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North Korea's missile tests: What you need to know

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North Korea has fired 23 missiles during 16 tests since February, further perfecting its technology with each launch. Here's what you need to know.

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Here's what you need to know.

What happened on Friday?

North Korea launched the longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile it has ever tested -- and the second ICBM this month.

It flew for about 45 minutes, going 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) high and for a distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), according to analysis from the US and its allies.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un touted the test as a success and claimed the "whole US mainland" is now within range of his missiles.

US President Donald Trump condemned the missile launch and said the United States would act to ensure its security.

Why is this different?

The latest test shows that Pyongyang's missile program may be more advanced than previously thought.

If the missile was fired on a flatter, standard trajectory, it would have major US cities such as Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago well within its range, with the possible ability to reach as far as New York and Boston, according to David Wright, a missile expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

North Korea also claimed Friday's test was designed to show the missile's maximum range when equipped with a "large-sized heavy nuclear warhead."

But last week a US official told CNN that the US government doesn't believe North Korea will be able to launch a reliable, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile until early 2018.

The official said that while North Korea can currently get a missile "off the ground," a lot of undetermined variables remain about guidance, reentry and the ability to hit a specific target.

What do the experts say?

Some experts are skeptical of North Korea's claims, pointing out that the size of the missile's payload is unknown. The heavier the payload, the shorter the usual range.

"We don't know the mass of the payload used in the test; if a real warhead is significantly heavier, that would reduce the range the missile could reach," the Union of Concerned Scientists' Wright told CNN.

One thing is clear: Friday's test marked a big step forward for a country once deemed incapable of developing a serious ICBM program.

How did the US and its allies respond?

The US and South Korea conducted live military exercises in a show of force hours after the test.

The US also sent two B-1 bombers on a 10-hour round trip over the Korean Peninsula on Saturday.

On Sunday, the US conducted a test of its THAAD missile defense system, but the THAAD system is not capable of intercepting ICBMs, and the test had been scheduled since earlier this month.

On the diplomatic front, US officials spent the weekend reassuring its allies in the region and warning North Korea to end its missile tests and nuclear program.

Trump renewed his criticism of China, claiming in a tweet that it has done "NOTHING" to rein in North Korea, while Vice President Mike Pence said "all options are on the table" when it comes to the rogue country.

On Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley echoed Trump's stance, saying that "the time for talk is over" and that Washington would not seek UN Security Council action following the latest missile test.

Are there additional concerns to consider?

North Korea has long maintained that the only way to protect itself against US-led attempts at regime change is through the threat of a nuclear attack.

According to a US defense official, evidence of an "ejection test" -- which examines a missile's "cold-launch system" -- was carried out on land at the Sinpo Naval Shipyard, a port city on the Sea of Japan, on Sunday.

It was the third ejection test carried out in July, and the fourth demonstrated this year.

The latest ejection test is further evidence that Pyongyang is trying to beef up its nuclear capabilities, as were "highly unusual and unprecedented levels" of North Korean submarine activity detected earlier in July.

In that instance, North Korea sent a diesel-powered Romeo-class sub around 100 kilometers (62 miles) out to sea in international waters -- farther than it had ever traveled. North Korea had also been outfitting its Gorae sub with a possible missile launch demonstration tube.

US and South Korean forces raised their alert levels slightly after detecting the subs' atypical training activity.

North Korea's submarine fleet is believed to encompass around 70 vessels, but most are outdated and are probably unable to fire missiles.

Without offering any specifics, US President Donald Trump said his administration would be able to take care of North Korea.

"We will handle North Korea. We are gonna be able to handle them. It will be handled. We handle everything," Trump told reporters at his second full Cabinet meeting.

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north korea tested a missile that could reach chicago -- now what? - cnn.com

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What's next after North Korea missile test?

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Here's what you need to know. What happened on Friday? North Korea launched the longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile it has ever tested -- and the second ICBM this month. It flew for about 45 minutes, going 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) high and for a distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), according to analysis from the US and its allies.