Why would North Korea launch a rocket into space now? The act invites additional sanctions for a country where the U.N. says millions are going hungry, and the bitter cold had only increased the risk of the launch becoming the latest of several embarrassing failures.

Some of Pyongyang’s reasons are calendar-related: It’s been 100 years since the birth of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung; nearly a year since the death of his son and successor, Kim Jong Il, and the first year in power for young leader Kim Jong Un. It’s also a period of political transition for four countries with especially high stakes in the North: South Korea, the United States, China and Japan.