A U.S.-based research institute says new satellite imagery suggests North Korea has halted construction on a launch pad capable of testing intercontinental missiles.

The website 38 North says the delay, possibly due to recent heavy rains, could push back the project's completion by up to two years.

The new launch pad, located at the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground, had been scheduled for completion around 2015.

But the group says the photos, taken August 29, also suggest Pyongyang is working on an existing launch pad at the same facility that has been used for previous missile tests.

Although the report says no launch appears to be imminent, it says North Korea can still launch longer-range rockets at its Sohae facility, from where it conducted its failed missile launch in April.
 
North Korea said the April launch was aimed at placing a satellite into orbit. But the U.S. and others condemned the move, saying it was a pretext for long-range missile testing prohibited under U.N. sanctions.

Pyongyang has tested two nuclear weapons and says it has turned some of its stockpile of plutonium into bomb material.  There are concerns that it aims to create a nuclear bomb that can be carried on a missile, though experts say they have not mastered the necessary technology.

38 North, the website of the U.S.-Korea Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, says the new launch pad at Tonghae is intended to conduct tests on "larger liquid-fueled rockets, possibly with intercontinental ranges."

It said the commercial satellite photos of the facility, taken by DigitalGlobe, also show Pyongyang has stopped construction on fuel and oxidizer buildings designed to support future tests near the new pad.

The report said the exact cause of the delay is not clear, but that heavy rains may have damaged the dirt trail leading to the secluded construction site. It also said heavy construction equipment at the site may have been relocated to help repair flood-damaged areas.

一家美国研究机构说，新的卫星图像显示，朝鲜停止了在一个可以试射洲际弹道导弹的发射台上的建筑活动。
 
“北纬38度线”网站说，这个可能由于最近下大雨导致的拖延可能会把朝鲜的计划推迟长达两年。
 
位于朝鲜东海卫星发射场的新发射平台原定于2015年左右完工。
 
但是这家美国研究机构说，8月29号拍摄的照片还显示，朝鲜正在改建同一发射场内一座以前试射导弹时曾经使用过的发射平台。
 
虽然美国的这家研究机构说看来朝鲜不会马上在那里试射导弹，但是朝鲜仍然可以在它的西海发射场发射远程导弹。朝鲜4月在西海发射场的导弹试射失败。
 
朝鲜说，四月的发射是将一枚卫星送入太空轨道。但是美国和其它一些国家谴责了朝鲜的行动，说它实际上利用这个借口来进行联合国禁止的远程导弹试射。
 
朝鲜进行过两次核武器试验，并宣称已经把一些金属钚转为可制造核武器的材料。人们担心，朝鲜的目标是制造一枚火箭可以运载的核武器。不过，专家认为，朝鲜还没有完全掌握相关技术。
 
美国约翰霍普金斯大学高级国际政治研究院的美朝问题研究所网站“北纬38度线”说，东海发射场的新发射台是为了试射使用液体燃料的更大火箭，而且是洲际导弹的射程。
 
这家网站说，“数字世界”拍摄的民用卫星照片还显示，朝鲜已停止建造燃料和氧化等原计划支持新发射台的设施。报告说，目前不清楚工程延期的确切原因，但是最近的暴雨可能损坏了通往建筑工地的土路，还可能是因为建筑地点的重型机械被送到受遭受洪水破坏的地区救灾。