A U.S. research institute has disclosed the latest commercial satellite image that shows North Korea's rocket mounted onto a launch pad on the country's east coast, Yonhap News Agency reported Monday.
The image, photographed by DigitalGlobe Sunday morning (Korean time) and obtained by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), shows the three-stage rocket apparently free of any covering and casting a thick shadow.
Neighboring countries suspect the rocket may be a missile that could fly as far as Alaska. North Korea has said it will launch a satellite from the Musudan-ri site between April 4-8.
On Sunday, an intelligence source in Seoul said the tip of the rocket had just been uncovered, but it was still difficult to tell whether a space satellite or a warhead has been mounted.
"We're in the midst of closely analyzing the object on top of the rocket. But we may not be able to complete its identification before the rocket launch," the source said, asking not to be named.
The latest image shows the rocket clearly visible from the gantry, the ISIS said in a statement, adding it is likely that North Korea had previously shrouded the suspected ballistic missile.
On Monday, the Financial Times quoted South Korean President Lee Myung-bak as saying he opposes military response to the North's projected rocket launch.
The comment came a day after U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said in Washington that his country would not attempt an interception unless the rocket clearly threatened its territory.
Intelligence officials believe North Korea may have implanted an underground fueling station near the launch pad to make it difficult for outside intelligence to determine the exact timing of the launch.