Here’s the scoop from the horse’s mouth:

North Korea’s much hyped long-range rocket apparently crashed into the sea a few minutes after launch on Friday, South Korean and other officials said, dealing a blow to the prestige of the reclusive and impoverished state. Pyongyang had defied international pressure from the United States and others to push ahead with the launch, which even its close ally China had warned against.

North Korea Launches Rocket in Bid for Nuclear Weapon