"US Witnesses North Korea's Failed Satellite Launch Up Close"

The US Air Force's RC-135S Cobra Ball reconnaissance plane was strategically positioned to gather data on North Korea's failed satellite launch, which ended in a midair explosion. The mission, part of a broader effort to monitor Pyongyang's missile activities, involved real-time data sharing with Japan and South Korea. North Korea blamed the failure on a new engine and vowed to continue its satellite program, while condemning US reconnaissance activities as espionage.