N.Korea missile shows sign of satellite payload: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The missile that North Korea is expected to launch as early as this weekend appears to have a bulb-shaped tip consistent with a satellite payload, rather than a warhead, U.S. defense officials said on Tuesday.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a commercial satellite image of the North Korean test site clearly show a Taepodong-2 missile with a payload portion that appears to be bulb-shaped.

Bulb-shaped payload shrouds are standard for both military and commercial satellite launches for a number of countries including the United States, Russia, China and the European Space Agency, the officials said.

(Reporting by David Morgan, editing by Patricia Zengerle)