North Korea launched an Unha-3 rocket on Wednesday ,leading many to believe that this is an act of defiance against the communist nation’s enemies, most notably Japan, the United States, and South Korea.

The nation claims that the purpose of the launch of this stage-three rocket was to place a weather satellite in the orbit of the Earth. Experts believe the launch was successful in placing the satellite into orbit.

However, many analysts see this launch as a potential future threat to the U.S. and other nations. The success of this launch may indicate that North Korea could develop nuclear missiles in the future that could be sent as far as the west coast of the U.S.

Wednesday’s launch caused uproar in the United Nations as many countries around the world protested North Korea’s defiance of sanctions previously placed on the nation. Even China, North Korea’s ally, was not happy with the launch, saying it “regretted” the country’s actions.

Although the launch caused no immediate threat, it is symbolic in the fact that it shows North Korea’s defiance toward efforts by the U.S. to turn North Korea away from advancement of nuclear weapons. Clearly the nation’s new leader, Kim Jong-un, will continue on the path to advance these technologies.