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 29 August 2008 05:30 BST

US missile successfully hits defunct toxic spy satellite

Thursday, 21 Feb 2008 14:24
The defunct satellite was hit 247km above the Pacific Ocean

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A missile fired by a US Navy warship has hit a defunct satellite which was due to enter the Earth's orbit with a toxic tank of fuel.

The US department of defence said a network of land, air and sea-based sensors confirms the interception was successful.

The national reconnaissance office satellite was in its final orbits before the strike, carrying a fuel tank of about 453kg of hydrazine, a hazardous fuel which could harm people's health.

Pentagon officials said the aim of the missile strike, which was fired from the USS Lake Erie at 22:26 local time (03:36 GMT), was to rupture the fuel tank before it entered Earth's atmosphere.

The missile hit the satellite about 247km above the Pacific Ocean as it travelled in space at more than 17,000mph.

Confirmation of the destruction of the fuel tank is expected within 24 hours.

"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," a defence department statement said.

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

Despite the US' claims that the strike was carried out because of the potential risk to humans, Russia has expressed concerns that it was a cover to test new space technology and there have been suggestions the US did not want other countries gaining information from the satellite.

Last year China fired a ground-based missile into a satellite in space, raising concern in the US that Beijing had the technology to target space-based equipment.
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