Shooting of US satellite 'delayed'

A missile fired from the USS Lake Erie will attempt to shoot down the crippled satellite [Photo: US Navy] A US attempt to shoot down a damaged spy satellite would probably be delayed because of poor weather, Pentagon officials say. Weather forecasts in the Pacific, where a US warship is stationed for the mission, indicated that seas would not be calm enough for the ship to fire a missile at the satellite and destroy it, the officials said. US military officials say the satellite is carrying highly toxic hydrazine rocket fuel that could be dangerous if it fell on a populated area. But the decision to shoot it down has been criticised by China and Russia who say the move is a cover for testing anti-satellite weaponry. The Pentagon has to act before February 29, when the dead satellite is projected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. On Wednesday, the space shuttle Atlantis landed in Florida, clearing the way for the military operation to proceed. The Pentagon had been waiting for the shuttle to land to avoid contact with flying debris as the satellite returned to Earth. Atlantis returned after completing a mission to deliver Europe's first permanent space laboratory to the International Space Station. Blazing descent The USS Lake Erie is stationed in the western Pacific in waters off the US state of Hawaii and awaiting the order to shoot down the missile with a specially modified missile. Officials will know within minutes of the missile launch whether the missile has hit the satellite, but it will take a day or two to know whether the fuel tank has been destroyed, officials said. The operation is most likely to take place during daylight hours and all ships and air traffic have been warned to stay away from the area ahead of the operation, officials say. "We'll make decisions each day as to whether we're going to proceed or not," a Pentagon official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. Left alone, about half of the 5,000-pound spacecraft was expected to survive its blazing descent through the atmosphere and would scatter debris over several hundred miles. Health 'concerns' George Bush, the US president, gave the order last week for the satellite to be shot down, saying the move was based on protecting human health. The satellite is carrying about half a tonne of hydrazine, a toxic propellant that would have been used to reposition the satellite while in orbit. The material can be fatal to humans in large doses. However both China and Russia criticised the move, saying it could harm security in space. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told reporters: "Relevant departments of China are closely watching the situation and working out preventive measures." Last year, China was itself criticised by the US and several of its allies which accused Beijing of risking a space arms race after it used a ballistic missile to destroy one of its own obsolete weather satellites. Russian anger Russia's defence ministry has also said it fears the US plan is a veiled test of US anti-satellite capabilities and represents an "attempt to move the arms race into space". The ministry said: "The decision to destroy the American satellite does not look harmless as they try to claim, especially at a time when the US has been evading negotiations on the limitation of an arms race in outer space." Critics have also said the justification of health fears may be a cover for preventing highly-classified spy satellite technology from falling into foreign hands. The missile carries a non-explosive "kinetic kill vehicle" – designed essentially to destroy the satellite by smashing into it. The technique is similar to the system employed in US anti-missile shields.

US warships position for satellite shoot down

he U.S. Navy likely will make its first attempt to shoot down a faulty spy satellite Wednesday night.

A Delta II rocket lifts off in December, carrying a reconnaissance satellite that failed hours later.

The U.S. government issued a formal notice warning ships and planes to stay clear of a large area of the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii.

The notice says the two- and-a-half hour window begins 2:30 a.m. Thursday Greenwich Mean Time, which is 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on the East Coast, and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Hawaii.

The timing is also after the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to be safely on the ground.

Pentagon officials caution that the notice reflects the first opportunity to take a shot at the satellite, but it's possible the attempt could be delayed until later. Watch Pentagon spokesman Jeff Morrell describe the launch window

"We have to make the notification, but it's possible the conditions won't be ideal, or that everything won't be ready," said a Pentagon official who asked not to be identified.

Pentagon officials says if the first attempt to hit the satellite fails, there may be time for a second attempt, but that would only come after an assessment that would be hours or even days after the first attempt.

Because the 5,000-pound satellite malfunctioned immediately after launch in December 2006, it has a full tank of fuel. It would likely survive re-entry and disperse potentially deadly fumes over an area the size of two football fields, officials have said.

The Navy plans to fire at the satellite as it enters Earth's atmosphere at an altitude of about 150 miles.

Officials want the missile to hit the edge of the atmosphere to ensure debris re-enters and burns up quickly.

Shooting down spy satellite to cost up to $60 million. Shooting down satellite doesn't worry space crew The Missile Defense Agency estimated the cost of a sea-based attempted intercept at $40 million to $60 million.

Without any intervention, Pentagon officials have said they believe the satellite would come down on its own in early March.

The option of striking the satellite with a missile launched from an Aegis cruiser was decided upon by President Bush after consultation with several government and military officials and aerospace experts, said Deputy National Security Adviser James Jeffrey."If we miss, nothing changes," said NASA administrator Michael Griffin. "If we shoot and barely touch it, the satellite is just barely in orbit" and would still burn up somewhat in the atmosphere, he said.

"If we shoot and get a direct hit, that's a clean kill and we're in good shape," he added