North Korea’s first attempt to launch a satellite into orbit ended in–what did Elon Musk call it?–a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” when it hit the waters off the western shore of the nation after it lost power after the second stage separated, the Associated Press reports.
Military units from South Korea, Japan and the United States were monitoring the launch when the rocket began “an abnormal flight” shortly after launch, according to South Korean military sources. Japanese officials said the craft did not reach an altitude considered space, about 100 kilometers.
The prospective launch of North Korea’s first spy satellite raised alarms among Western intelligence agencies, with a successful orbit meaning a previously-isolated Kim Jong-un now had access to satellite photos. In Japan and South Korea, however, the danger was more imminent: civil alerts advised people in Seoul to prepare for a possible evacuation. On Okinawa, which was believed to be on the rocket’s path, Japanese officials advised residents to remain inside or better, in an underground area.