A South Korean military expert says no acoustic blanket or other protective covers for a satellite were found among the recovered fragments of the North Korean rocket launched in February.

The military expert on Wednesday suggested that the North's launch was not aimed at space exploration as it claimed, noting the absence of protective mechanisms inside the fairing of the rocket.

It was also pointed out that military authorities found traces of explosions inside the fairing, which should have been prevented in an actual event of a satellite launch.

The expert said that the North’s “Kwangmyongsong-4” was confirmed to have sent out a signal once but that no additional signals were detected since February tenth.

North Korea launched what it said was a satellite into space on February seventh, in defiance of international warnings.