Pentagon confident missile hit on satellite successful

United States: The Pentagon said yesterday it was very confident that a navy missile hit the toxic fuel tank of a defunct US spy satellite, which could have caused harm if it had fallen to the Earth intact.

The spectacular and unprecedented strike took place over the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday after a US Navy cruiser launched a missile as the satellite sped through space at more than 17,000mph (27,400kph), officials said.

"This was uncharted territory. The technical degree of difficulty was significant here," said Gen James Cartwright, vice-chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

Both Russia and China had expressed concern ahead of the mission, with Moscow suggesting it could be used as cover to test a new space weapon.

But Washington said the only reason for the mission was to prevent harm to humans from the tank of hazardous hydrazine fuel on the bus-sized satellite, which was expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere within the next couple of weeks.

"We're very confident that we hit the satellite. We also have a high degree of confidence that we got the tank," Gen Cartwright said, putting the chances that the tank had been breached at about 90 per cent.

He said a fireball in video images of the strike, a vapour cloud that formed and indications of hydrazine in the air all suggested the tank had been shattered. But he said it could take another 24 to 48 hours to know for sure.

"From our position, you always want to hedge your bet because there's no absolute certainty," Gen Cartwright said.

Debris from the satellite had already started to re-enter the atmosphere over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans but nothing larger than a football had been detected so far, he said.

Wednesday's operation was the first time a sea-based missile has been used to hit a satellite, according to experts. The United States and the Soviet Union conducted anti-satellite tests in the Cold War but used other techniques.

The operation used modified elements of its missile defence system. But officials have sought to avoid presenting this mission as a test for that system, saying hitting a satellite is quite different from trying to shoot down a missile. Some space experts have questioned the Pentagon's justification for the mission, saying the chances of any part of the satellite causing harm were extremely remote.

- (Reuters)

© 2008 The Irish Times

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