Update: Unha-3 orbits North Korea's first satellite

North Korea's Unha-3 satellite launch vehicle (SLV) successfully orbited a second version of the Kwangmyongsong-3 spacecraft on 12 December 2012. The first Kwangmyongsong-3 had failed to achieve orbit on 12 April 2012, as the result of a failure of its launch vehicle about 90 seconds into the flight.

This was North Korea's first successful satellite launch. The country claims that earlier launches, which were conducted using a Paektusan 1 launch vehicle on 31 August 1998 and an Unha-2 launch vehicle on 5 April 2009, were successful, but in both instances the spacecraft and its third stage are reported to have crashed into the Pacific Ocean. No orbiting spacecraft was detected by US, Russian or international observers.

Unha-3 is a three-stage vehicle. Its development and flight-testing have raised international controversy, since its first stage is thought to have been developed as the first stage of North Korea's planned Taepo Dong-2 ballistic missile. The second stage of the Taepo Dong-2 is expected to be based on the first stage of the smaller Nodong intermediate-range ballistic missile.