NEW DELHI: The first stage of a North Korean rocket exploded during a spy satellite launch, space.com reported.A camera at Yonsei University in South Korea, typically used to track meteors or capture shooting stars, captured footage of the initial stage of the North Korean Chollima-1 rocket seeming to explode and scatter debris, according to the report."This time they appear to have detonated the first stage propellant in mid-air," space.com quoted Byun Yong-Ik, an astronomy professor at Yonsei University.

"This kind of measure was not seen in the previous launch attempts, and it could have been an effort to prevent South Korean and US authorities from recovering the (rocket), as it is equipped with a new engine."North Korean rocket experts classified the incident as unusual.

Countries let rocket stages fall naturally into Earth's atmosphere.

However, according to space.com, North Korea doesn't have the capability to land the first stage, as companies like SpaceX or Blue Origin do.Astronomer Jonathan McDowell shared on X (formerly Twitter) that the US Space Force has identified an object in orbit following the same path as the launch.

Following North Korea's claims of the successful spy satellite launch on Tuesday, senior US officials and the White House condemned the activity.The White House released a statement saying the launch on Tuesday was "a brazen violation of multiple UN (United Nations) Security Council resolutions, raises tensions, and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond."North Korea has attempted twice this year to put a spy satellite into space, but has failed.The Japan Coast Guard said Pyongyang's notification designated three maritime zones believed to be the areas where debris from the rocket carrying the satellite will fall.Two are to the west of the Korean Peninsula and the other is to the east of the Philippines' island of Luzon.South Korea's chief director of operations at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff,Kang Ho-pil warned that Seoul will take "necessary measures" should the launch proceed.South Korea retrieved debris from the North's first launch in May and said the satellite had "no military utility".

After a second attempt in August failed, the North Korea space agency said it would attempt again in October.Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested in September after a meeting with Kim that Moscow would help in building satellites, but the details are less known.Earlier this month, South Korea announced plans to launch a spy satellite of its own by the end of November.

The satellite launch will be carried by a rocket from US company SpaceX, according to reports.