Some analysts believe that a three stage space booster variant of the Taepodong 1 could be capable of travelling as far as 5,900 kilometers with a very small payload.

The hurdles encountered in launching the 1540 Committee, established to report on the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) on the non proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, were compared by one of the commentators to those facing an airplane trying to take off with a very heavy and sensitive cargo.