The incident highlighted just how short of a reaction time there is for governments and citizens following provocative missile launches, which for North Korea have become increasingly common. After about eight minutes, the missile had already reached Japan, the first time since 2009 that North Korea launched a projectile over the country. But experts say that despite the technology and resources devoted to monitoring missile launches, getting a precise picture quickly remains difficult and any potential attempt to shoot down a missile is fraught with complications. Detecting A Launch North Korean missile launches are initially detected by a series of radar systems, including ground and sea-based radar stationed in the region. Based on information gleaned from radar systems, governments can determine whether a North Korean projectile is headed for a populated area.

Source: Huffington Post August 30, 2017 22:07 UTC