Saturday, February 06, 2016

The Biggest Super Bowl Commercial Ever?

Well that's interesting:

North Korea could launch a rocket that it says will carry an earth observation satellite as soon as Sunday, after bringing forward and shortening the time frame for the launch, the Japanese and South Korean governments said on Saturday.

A North Korean launch on Sunday would certainly be a figurative shot at the Super Bowl.

I wonder if the North Koreans would actually aim the missile in the general direction of San Fransisco (though it would not reach the city) just to make an extra special point?

UPDATE: North Korea lit the candle:

North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Sunday carrying what it has said is a satellite, South Korea's defense ministry said[.]

No word on trajectory.

UPDATE: Given that earlier stories said we'd be tracking the North Koreans starting Monday, and given Japanese vows to shoot it down if it crossed into Japanese air space, was all this just choreographed to allow North Korea to get off a launch before we were "ready" to shoot it down?

And if we need advance warning of a missile attack, how good is our missile defense?

One more thing. The North Koreans launched the missile south. Are they testing the ability of Iranian missiles that could be based in North Korea to hit points to the southwest?

UPDATE: Whatever North Korea launched into orbit, it did fly over the Super Bowl stadium.