N. Korea notifies U.N. agency of future satellite launch

North Korean Posts and Telecommunications Minister Kim Kwang Chol informed the Geneva-based ITU via diplomatic channels that the satellite will be of the Kwangmyongsong (Bright Star) type and have a four-year operational life.
No clues as to the timing of the launch were provided, but sources at the London-based International Maritime Organization said the IMO was informed by North Korea that an earth observation satellite launch would be conducted between Feb. 8 and 25.
In December 2012, North Korea launched a long-range rocket that it said successfully placed an earth observation satellite into orbit. The move was then widely regarded as a violation of U.N. resolutions that ban Pyongyang from conducting any launch using ballistic missile technology.
North Korea is apparently preparing for a long-range ballistic missile launch, according to satellite imagery analyses that emerged as the U.N. Security Council was discussing a resolution against Pyongyang in response to its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6.
The ITU is seeking more information from North Korean authorities in order to record the satellite's frequency assignments in the ITU Master International Frequency Register, the international directory for satellites.
The satellite will be in the non-geostationary orbit and transmit data in ultra-high frequency and videos in band X, according to the source.
Source: Kyodo