Surenas
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SEOUL (AFP) - North Korea's recent rocket launch amounted to the test of a ballistic missile capable of carrying a half-tonne payload over 10,000km, the South Korean defence ministry said on Sunday.
North Korea launched its three-stage Unha-3 rocket on Dec 12, insisting it was a purely scientific mission aimed at putting a polar-orbiting satellite in space.
Sunday's estimate was based on analysis of an oxidiser container, recovered from the rocket's first-stage splashdown site, which stored red fuming nitric acid to fuel the first-stage propellant.
"Based on our analysis and simulation, the missile is capable of flying more than 10,000km with a warhead of 500kg to 600kg," a defence ministry official told reporters.
S. Korea says North 'rocket' could fly 10,000km