North Korea appears to have succeeded in putting what its claims to be a satellite into orbit, a military official said Sunday.

“It is assumed that the projectile has entered into orbit,” the official said, but added that further analysis will be needed to confirm its normal operation.

The North fired the rocket from its northwest Dongchang-ri launch site, detected by South Korea’s Aegis destroyer radar at 9:30 a.m. The Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded it was a long-range missile with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers, which could reach the mainland U.S., after studying the trajectory.

After the launch on the west coast, the rocket flew southward, dropping its first stage into the Yellow Sea at 9:32 a.m. The first stage exploded in midair and fell in some 270 pieces, the JCS said.

The missile disappeared from the surveillance radar four minutes later around the same time the missile shed its fairing southwest of Jejudo Island.

A JCS official said the South and the U.S. are jointly assessing whether the disappearance means the launch was a failure or due to other technical issues.

The North has previously told U.N. agencies that it would launch what it claims to be an earth observation satellite between Feb. 7 and 14. The confirmed route also matches its report, the officials said. The initial plan had set the launch window between Feb. 8 and 25 but the dates were abruptly changed on Saturday, the day before the launch.

The missile passed through the South Korean skies without leaving any damage they said, adding that the allies are looking for the location where the second stage may have fallen.

The communist country has said the launch will put an earth observation satellite into orbit, but the outside world views it as cover for testing an intercontinental ballistic missile. The North is banned from launching a rocket using ballistic missile technology under a series of relevant U.N. resolutions.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo will hold an emergency meeting with United Stages Forces Korea Commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti later in the day, the officials said. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)