By William J. Broad and David E. Sanger
New York Times
August 1, 2017
Analysts examining video of North Korea’s launch on Friday of an intercontinental ballistic missile that appeared capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States say they saw evidence of a setback the North never mentioned: The mock warhead on the missile shattered into pieces during its fiery re-entry to earth.
If the analysis is correct, it would mean that North Korea suffered a significant, but not decisive, setback. It suggests that the country, for all its success as it works toward its goal of putting American cities under threat, has not yet mastered the difficult aerodynamics of designing a warhead that can survive re-entry.