The Taepodong-2 (TD-2, also spelled as Taep'o-dong 2)[3] (Korean: 대포동 2호) is a designation used to indicate what was initially believed to be a North Korean two- or three-stage ballistic missile[4] design that is the successor to the Taepodong-1 technology demonstrator.

[7] Based on the size of the missile, the fuel composition, and the likely fuel capacity, it is estimated that a two-stage variant would have a range of around 4,000 km (2,500 mi) and a three-stage variant would be capable of reaching as far away as 4,500 km (2,800 mi), giving it potentially the longest range in the North Korean missile arsenal.

Speculative variants of the missile could be capable of a range of approximately 9,000 km (5,600 mi).

[9] Very few details concerning the technical specifications of the rocket are public information; even the name "Taepodong-2" is a designation applied by agencies outside North Korea to what is presumed to be a successor to the Taepodong-1.

[5] In 2015, aerospace engineer and North Korea missile program analyst John Schilling stated that North Korea did not seem to be planning to create an operational ICBM from the Taepodong-2 technology, and that the Taepodong-2 had been mistakenly identified as an ICBM development, whereas in reality it was a space launch development vehicle.