Story highlights
NEW: Two objects have been detected in Earth's orbit following the launch
It is widely believed to be a cover for a missile test
Emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to convene
North Korea has successfully launched a satellite into space, its state-run TV said, an action immediately condemned by the United States as “destabilizing and provocative.”
Carrier rocket Kwangmyongsong blasted off from the Sohae Space Center at 9 a.m Sunday local time, state news agency KCNA said.
The Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite entered orbit nine minutes and 46 seconds after the liftoff, an operation “great leader Kim Jong Un personally ordered and directed,” the TV announcer said.
Though North Korea said the launch was for scientific and “peaceful purposes” – adding it plans to launch more satellites – it was viewed by other nations, such as Japan and South Korea,