U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair says he believes North Korea is planning to launch a space vehicle, not a missile as speculated by some countries.

Blair told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday that the technology used for a satellite launch is indistinguishable from that needed for an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

He said that if the North is capable of developing a functional three-stage, space-launch vehicle, then that could imply that they have the missile technology to reach not only Alaska and Hawaii, but also part of mainland U.S. territory.

Officials in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington suspected that North Korea was preparing to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile. Pyongyang has been claiming that it is planning to launch a communications satellite.

Defense Intelligence Agency Director Michael Maples, who was also present at the hearing, said the North may have succeeded in loading a warhead onto a ballistic missile. He warned that Pyongyang could seek to test missiles or conduct nuclear tests if the six-way dialogue framework collapses.