The Associated Press says a planned North Korean satellite launch could come as early as the end of this month.

Quoting senior U.S. intelligence officials, the AP reported Thursday that the U.S. has tried for the last few weeks to determine whether the North indeed plans to launch a satellite for peaceful purposes, as it claims.

The report added that although U.S. intelligence authorities expect the launch to come within weeks, they are closely watching the predicted coastal launch site in North Korea due to some signs suggesting the launch could come sooner than initially thought.

U.S. intelligence officials said that if the North launches a satellite successfully, it will have numerous effects. They say it would secure the communist state’s first satellite in orbit and demonstrate its advancements in long-distance missile technology to the U.S. and Japan. It would also embarrass South Korea, which is still a few months away from launching its own satellite.