2 M5 r3 |$ {6 E The satellite that North Korea claims it launched into orbit yesterday, amid allegations of long-range missile tests, is tumbling out of control, US officials have said. D- o, X; k9 f: a ( [) N! N! i) R2 } Officials told NBC news said that the device is some kind of space vehicle, but that they haven't established what it is supposed to do.. A! l5 }; o( W; n
# ]( ^0 Y& e8 Y1 J. H According to officials the object, which was launched at 7.49 p.m. ET on Wednesday, has an unstable trajectory and could crash land back to earth. 8 J/ Z( h: w& Q * R& h$ R O. L9 h Whilst seemingly admitting the object is a space vehicle, the US continued to condemn what they called a rocket launch, calling it a 'provocative act.'0 s$ Q: ^3 G/ r s" p9 z
7 ]4 v; r6 }2 u% i: v* }) |" ] The United Nations security council have called it a 'clear violation' of UN resolutions. + u/ O+ G' R) N ( s. l, `+ q' c2 B A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he "deplores" the launch.# h- y" }/ b6 S% d2 A3 a4 {7 E
) |+ o3 t, f3 P* u+ u: [; X# d# G
It is thought that the problems with the unidentified object, which North Korea claims is a weather satellite, could cause it to collide with other orbiting vehicles, or indeed come crashing back to back down earth. - ]4 W1 w: G1 D, w& `& L( I8 G( @. w {' E. Q
Norad, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, detected the launch of the missile at 7.49 p.m. ET on Wednesday. 5 w3 R+ }8 F( {$ Y. J ) J( v, D) O$ P4 L! k7 v1 N Officials have claimed initially the first stage fell into the Yellow Sea and the second stage fell into the Philippine Sea. ! _4 G2 |8 L& ?+ f2 |0 g/ U: ?4 o& {* ~% V1 k
North Korea has claimed that the launch was an attempt to place a satellite into a pole-to-pole orbit. # B( `" B8 x! X; T$ X9 N6 B {9 B3 v0 |9 U1 W5 p* N
The official KNCA news agency said the rocket was launched from Sohae Satellite Launch Center and that the Kwangmyongsong weather satellite went into orbit as planned.1 @% |+ |0 Y$ S# y
/ r- Z; U2 _. X US officials, who have not yet identified what the object actually was, have claimed the launch was a thinly veiled attempt to test a three-stage ballistic missile with the ability to hit the US West Coast. l6 p: E) }! f3 a, ] % Q6 r' @2 ]$ L! |, r William Hague MP, the British Foreign Secretary, was also among the international figures who described the launch – which defied a world ban on ballistic missile tests – as 'provocative'.- o, a! `- [4 ?% w* e& j3 z
6 T" F b2 d8 o
China, which is North Korea's only diplomatic ally, had urged the secretive country not to go ahead with the launch. 6 t" A9 I: F- [7 n2 a: {4 P. g: i2 J4 s6 X+ K
Today, Russia added to the international condemnation that greeted the launch: "The new rocket launch carried out by North Korea flaunts the opinion of the international community, including calls from the Russian side," it said. ( r! P5 h) b; G1 R) y3 @- l2 S# j( ~" A% D$ [$ O
In 2009 a one-ton Russian satellite with a nuclear reactor collided with a 1200-pound American orbiter over Siberia. The resultant debris was as large as a school bus and reentered the atmosphere. It crashed into the Atlantic Ocean
- U* O; }, ]6 S8 z) z" V2 }5 ~