Though North Korea had said it planned to put a satellite into orbit, the launch was viewed by other nations, such as Japan and South Korea, as a front for a ballistic missile test, especially coming on the heels of North Korea's hydrogen bomb test last month.

However, a senior U.S. defense official said the rocket headed toward space and, based on its trajectory, "did not pose a threat to the U.S. or our allies."

The United States, Japan and South Korea have called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on Sunday, a senior U.S. official has told to CNN.

The South Korean national security council held an emergency meeting in response to the launch, the South Korean President's office said, reported CNN.

North Korea's state-run TV said it will make an important announcement at 12 p.m. Pyongyang time (10:30 p.m. ET).

South Korea said the rocket was launched around 9:30 a.m. local time (7:30 p.m. ET) and headed south. The U.S. official said it headed toward the Yellow Sea.