Country dossier · PRK

North Korea

Advanced space-faring nation

A sourced snapshot of North Korea's posture in space — capability, institutions, orbital assets, law and people. Every figure carries its primary source; gaps are shown honestly, never filled with invented data.

Open North Korea in the interactive workspace →

Capability tier

Advanced space-faring nation

Launches to orbit from its own territory: yesLaunch sites on record: 2Nationals who have flown: 0

Source: ALL IN SPACE capability ladder · see methodology

Space agency

NADA (National Aerospace Development Administration)

National space agency · established 2013 · two-source verified

Source: ALL IN SPACE · agency name, compiled in house

Satellites (owner state)

1

Counted from the GCAT May 2026 snapshot. The interactive workspace shows a live CelesTrak figure, which uses different owner-attribution rules and will differ.

Source: GCAT · General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (J. McDowell) · May 2026 snapshot

Ground stations

No principal ground stations indexed for this country yet.

Source: ALL IN SPACE curated ground-station dataset (operator-sourced)

Space budget

No published space budget indexed for this country.

National strategy

Law of the DPRK on Space Development (2013, revised 2022) (2013)

Space activity is framed by the 2013 Law on Space Development (revised 2022 to permit military use) and implemented through NADA rather than a published civilian strategy.

Source: Published national space strategies and policies

International space law

InstrumentStatus
Outer Space Treaty 1967Ratified
Rescue Agreement 1968Ratified
Liability Convention 1972Ratified
Registration Convention 1975Ratified
Moon Agreement 1979Not a party
Artemis Accords 2020Not a signatory

Source: Status of international agreements relating to activities in outer space (1 January 2026)

Launch sites

  • Sohae Satellite Launching StationNational Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) · Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan · orbital · since 2012
  • Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground (Musudan-ri)National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) · Musudan-ri, North Hamgyong · orbital · since 1998

Source: National launch site roster · ALL IN SPACE compilation

Astronauts

No nationals have flown in space on record.

Milestones

  • 1998First orbital launch from national soil
  • 2013NADA (National Aerospace Development Administration) established

Notable missions and contributions

  • Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 (2012, first confirmed orbit)
  • Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 (2016)
  • Malligyŏng-1 military reconnaissance satellite (2023)
  • Sohae Satellite Launching Station
  • Paektusan-1 / Chollima-1 satellite launcher