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.
"We're now into the window," a senior Pentagon official told a
news conference shortly after space shuttle Atlantis landed at
Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:07 A.M. EST (1407 GMT) on
Wednesday.
This photo released by the US Navy in
2003 shows a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) launching from the Aegis
cruiser USS Lake Erie. The US warship is moving into position to
try to shoot down a defunct US spy satellite as early as Wednesday
before it tumbles into the Earth's atmosphere, Pentagon officials
said Tuesday. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
The US Navy may take the action as early as Wednesday night, US
medias reported. However, the Pentagon official said the
unfavorable weather at northern Pacific may postpone the shoot-down
into Thursday.
"We don't anticipate the weather to be good enough," the
official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Currently no
final decision has been made to call off Wednesday's
opportunity.
Marine General James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, told reporters last week the window of opportunity
for shooting down the satellite would last seven or eight days. The
US military is evaluating the situation real-time.
Cartwright, Air Force General Kevin P. Chilton, commander of US
Strategic Command, and other experts across the military and US
government "will advise the defense secretary when they have a shot
to take," Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said on
Tuesday.
The US Federal Aviation Administration is issuing notices every
24 hours during the anticipated shoot-down window, warning aircraft
and ships to steer clear of the projected shoot-down zone in the
Pacific.
The Pentagon announced last week the plan to shoot down the
malfunctioning US spy satellite just above the atmosphere, because
the satellite could cause death or injury if it fell in a populated
area. Of particular concern is that the satellite could release
hydrazine, a toxic chemical used as a maneuvering fuel.
The US Navy has prepared for the mission by modifying three SM-3
missiles aboard Aegis ships to strike the satellite, Cartwright
said last week.
Morrell said again on Tuesday that the mission isn't designed to
test US anti-satellite capabilities. "This operation is designed to
alleviate a threat to human beings on this planet. There is a large
tank of hydrazine fuel onboard that satellite that would pose a
significant threat to people within the immediate vicinity of it if
it were to hit land."?
(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2008)
