Story highlights North Korea this week broke a two-month lull in weapons testing

State media declared the Hwasong-15 missile its "most powerful ICBM"

(CNN) An intercontinental ballistic missile that North Korea said could reach the "whole" mainland of the United States likely broke up upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, a US official said Saturday.

North Korea on Tuesday broke a two-month lull in weapons testing. It launched an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-15, that state-controlled media described as the "most powerful ICBM" carrying a "super-large heavy warhead" to unprecedented heights of almost 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles).

Technical analysis of the missile flight is ongoing, but the US official said "the North Koreans had problems with re-entry. "

Coupled with the rogue regime's need to master missile guidance and targeting, the re-entry failure underscores the challenges facing the country's weapons program, according to the official.

Still, the ability of the new missile to fly higher and longer than others in the past signals the program's intent to develop weapons capable of attacking the US.

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