North Korea recently informed a pair of U.N. agencies that it plans to launch a satellite.
CNN: N. Korea defends right to 'explore space' amid missile claim
In late August, without warning, the North Koreans fired a rocket over Japan to launch a satellite, they later claimed.
On his right was Bernard Schwartz, of Loral Corporation, who was later given permission to launch a satellite in China.
North Korea said last week that it would launch a satellite-bearing rocket that could take it over Japan's Okinawan archipelago.
Denying intelligence suggesting the missile test, North Korea announced Tuesday it is preparing to launch a satellite from its northeastern coast.
North Korean officials disputed the claim, saying in the country's official news agency that North Korea was preparing to launch a satellite.
And what if the North Koreans did indeed launch a satellite?
For its part, the regime itself announced this week that it is planning to launch a satellite television station that will advance the Syrian-Iranian line to the Arab world.
Now, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is looking to launch a satellite into orbit and use a 'droid -- much smaller than the Astromech variety -- to control said satellite.
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But just days later, Pyongyang said it would launch a satellite in honor of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, arguing that this would be different from a missile test.
Even after North Korea announced its intention to launch a satellite, China entertained a visit in March by North Korea's prime minister, Kim Yong Il, with all the usual honour-guard pomp.
As part of the wide-ranging news conference, the intelligence director also said the world understands "the game" North Korea is playing in claiming it plans to launch a satellite next month.
That said, the expected launch of a satellite by the North Koreans as early as Saturday is expected to be just that -- a satellite launch, according to Gates.
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Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we would beat them to the moon.
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And half-a-century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik we had no idea how we would beat them to the Moon.
Samara's effort to launch a third satellite over Latin America got him embroiled in a bitter fight with the U.S. Department of Defense and Boeing, which use the L-band for communication during flight tests.
The first step was what the outside world believes was a missile test, though North Korea said the April 5 event was the launch of a communications satellite.
South Korea is expected to make a second attempt to launch its first satellite later Tuesday after aborting a launch last week when a piece of equipment malfunctioned minutes before launch.
At the moment such satellites must either piggyback on the launch of a larger satellite or be launched rather expensively on their own rocket.
What's more, while the launch of a single satellite is plenty to get excited about, the researchers hope that it lead the way for a whole fleet of similar nanosatellites that could greatly speed up the search for planets.
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The 1, 008kg satellite was launched from a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
North Korea, which is threatening to conduct a proscribed satellite launch in mid-April, wants to drive a wedge between the allies.
"In this mission, what we want to show is that it is technically possible to safely approach a satellite, which we launch together with our main satellite, to capture it by means of a robotic arm and to perform a number of services like repairing or maintenance operations, " explained DLR's Dr Manuel Metz.
Though the regime has powerful domestic reasons for a satellite launch, abroad it will be self-defeating.
The last time Pyongyang carried out what it described as a satellite launch, in April 2009, the U.N.
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China, for one, has so far sided with North Korea's protestation that this was a satellite launch, pure and simple.
In April, North Korea tested a multistage Taepodong-2 missile that crashed into the Pacific Ocean, in what Pyongyang said was a satellite launch.
U.S. and South Korean officials have long said the North is actually preparing to test-fire a long-range missile under the guise of a satellite launch.
CNN: N. Korea defends right to 'explore space' amid missile claim
"We believe a launch would be a move to interfere with our effort toward a dialogue, and we strongly urge North Korea not to carry out a satellite launch, " he said.
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