North Korea vowed to launch three new spy satellites, build military drones, and boost its nuclear arsenal in 2024 as leader Kim Jong Un said US policy is making war inevitable.
Iran, which has hinted about the launch for months, sees this as a major achievement.
Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, has suffered several failed satellite launches in recent years due to technical issues.
Pyongyang has said it needs a military reconnaissance satellite to boost monitoring of US military activities.
The satellite is already performing its own initial checks to make sure it is functioning properly and simultaneously sending initial images.
North Korea also vowed it will continue to develop its nuclear capability and strengthen solidarity with other countries that oppose what it called the "US strategy for world supremacy."
The satellite was launched into orbit on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is the latest satellite that ImageSat has sent into space.
Nate Evans, the spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations, said the United States had called for an open meeting on the launch, which means the proceedings would be streamed live.
It may take weeks or more to resolve the problems that caused the rocket's failure, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday, citing the South's intelligence agency.
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