Today’s rare spot of good news; probable NorKor rocket launch (partial) FAIL.

Officials from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command countered that the rocket’s payload cleared Japanese airspace, but later fell into the Pacific Ocean.

“Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean,” according to a statement from NORAD and the Northern Command, read by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. See details of rocket and its path

“No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan,” the statement added. “NORAD and (the Northern Command) assesses the launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response to this launch.”