[southnews] US navy shoots down spy satellite
 
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:44:29 -0600 (CST)


The SM-3 missile was fired from the USS Lake Erie in the Pacific at 
about 10.26 EST (2.26pm AEDT) and hit the bus-sized satellite about 133 
nautical miles (247km) above the ocean, the Pentagon said.

"A network of land, air, sea and space-based sensors confirms that the 
US military intercepted a nonfunctioning National Reconnaissance Office 
satellite which was in its final orbits before entering the earth's 
atmosphere," it said.

"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available 
within 24 hours," it said, "Due to the relatively low altitude of the 
satellite at the time of the engagement, debris will begin to re-enter 
the earth's atmosphere immediately,"

"Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24-48 hours 
and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days."

Russia and China have expressed concern about the operation. The Russian 
Defence Ministry said it could be used as cover to test a new space weapon.
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 U.S. navy shoots down spy satellite

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A missile launched from a U.S. navy 
ship in the North Pacific hit an out-of-control spy satellite late 
Wednesday, CNN reported.

    "The missile has been launched and (it was) a successful intercept," 
a Pentagon source was quoted by CNN as saying. It happened around 10:30 
p.m. EST on Wednesday (0330 GMT on Thursday)when the satellite flied 130 
miles (about 210 km) over the Pacific.

The window of opportunity to shoot down a dying spy satellite is now 
open, right after the landing of space shuttle Atlantis, the Pentagon 
said on Wednesday.

    The more detailed results of the action is not available currently.

    Although the dying satellite is the target, the Pentagon hopes the 
missile can hit exactly the tank carrying toxical fuels aboard the 
spacecraft. The tank is circular with a radius of 20 inches (about 50 
cm). It will take a day or two to know whether the tank has been destroyed.

    With the weather over Pacific improving, U.S. military finally gave 
the shoot-down order. A modified SM-3 missile was fired from the cruiser 
USS Lake Erie, attempting to hit the bus-size satellite, according to 
the Pentagon action plan released earlier.

    The satellite, called USA 193,was launched Dec. 14, 2006. Shortly 
after it reached orbit, ground controllers lost contact with it. Left 
alone, the satellite would be expected to hit Earth during the first 
week of March. Approximately 1,134 kg of satellite mass will survive 
re-entry, including 453 kg of propellant fuel hydrazine, a hazardous 
material, in the tank, according to the Pentagon.

    Therefore, President George W. Bush decided to take action to 
mitigate the risk to human lives by shooting down the errant satellite.

    "The likelihood of the satellite falling in a populated area is 
small. Nevertheless, if it did fall in a populated area, there was the 
possibility of death or injury to human beings," said James Jeffrey, 
deputy national security advisor at a Pentagon briefing last week.

    In late January, the U.S. government notified other nations that the 
satellite was unresponsive and would make an uncontrolledre-entry in 
late February or early March without intercept.

    The U.S. satellite shoot-down plan spurred significant concerns 
around the world. The U.S. military and government officials have 
stressed at several news briefings that the mission isn't designed to 
test U.S. anti-satellite capabilities.