North Korea has conducted “another important” test for its reconnaissance satellite systems, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. This comes a day after neighbouring military authorities said the country fired a ballistic missile into the sea, extending Pyongyang’s recent weapons testing streak. 

According to KCNA, North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) and the Academy of Defence Science conducted the launch “under the plan of developing a reconnaissance satellite”. 

“Through the test, the NADA confirmed the reliability of data transmission and reception system of the satellite, its control command system and various ground-based control systems,” KCNA said. 

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Saturday’s launch drew condemnation from the United States, South Korea and Japan, as fears of the North conducting a major missile test in the coming months grow. 

KCNA did not disclose details of the kind of rocket used in the launch – just like the last test on February 27, according to Reuters. 

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile fired from an area near the North Korean capital flew about 270 kilometers eastward at a maximum altitude of 560 kilometers before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

It said U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials were closely analyzing the launch.

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The flight details roughly matched an earlier assessment by the Japanese military and were similar to North Korea’s previous launch last Sunday that was also conducted from the Sunan area near Pyongyang.

The launch was North Korea’s second launch this week and the ninth in 2022 as it continues to use a pause in diplomacy to expand its military capabilities while attempting to pressure the Biden administration for concessions.

Pyongyang has used stalled denuclearisation talks to ramp up missile testing in January and has also suggested it could resume testing nuclear weapons or the long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since 2017. 

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Saturday’s launch came just days ahead of presidential elections in South Korea. Officials in Seoul believe the North is preparing to launch a spy satellite in orbit soon. 

“Any satellite launch would bring serious repercussions, as it’s the same technology used to launch an ICBM,” Lee Jong-seok, the top foreign policy advisor to ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung, told Reuters.