North Korea’s efforts to develop its space program lag behind its ambitions, a new report by a Washington-based think tank has concluded, though an expert told NK News that Pyongyang could eventually put weapons and larger satellites into orbit.

In its annual Space Threat Assessment, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) states that the rapid succession of DPRK missile tests earlier this year, including of a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile, “has not translated to the space program.”

“Despite consistent claims from state officials that space is a priority for the nation, there is no indication that North