Target Practice

The Pentagon plans an unprecedented move as it attempts to shoot down a dying U.S. spy satellite, calling it a potentially deadly threat.

Using a souped-up missile fired from a ship in the Pacific, the military plans on blasting the bus-sized satellite apart and letting the freagments burn up as it enters the atmosphere. But to be a success the missile must obliterate the onboard tank carrying a half ton of hydrazine, a toxic fuel.

In order to succeed, the military must have a combination of favorable factors: steady seas around the Navy cruiser firing the missile, optimum positioning of the satellite as it passed in polar orbit, and the readiness of an array of space- and ground-based sensors to help cue the missile and track the results.

The fuel, unused because the satellite died shortly after reaching orbit in December 2006 — could be hazardous if it landed in a populated area. The government has hazardous materials teams standing by (under the code name "Burnt Frost"...and why is there a code name to an internationally known situation?), prepared to be flown to the site of any dangerous debris, wherever it may land. Six federal response groups are also positioned across the country by FEMA as a purely precautionary measure.

The attempted shootdown, however, is seen by some as blurring the lines between defending against a hostile long-range missile and targeting satellites in orbit. Much of the equipment used in the satellite shootdown is part of the Pentagon's missile defense system, a far-flung network of interceptors, radars and communications systems designed primarily to hit an incoming hostile ballistic missile fired at the United States by North Korea. But the equipment, including the Navy missile, has never been used against a satellite or other such target.

The three-stage Navy missile, the SM-3, has chalked up a high rate of success in tests since 2002 — in each case targeting a short- or medium-range missile. A hurry-up program to adapt the missile for this anti-satellite mission was completed in a matter of weeks; Navy officials say the changes will be reversed once this satellite is down. We'll see about that...

Officials will know within minutes whether the missile has hit the satellite, but it will take a day or two to know whether the fuel tank has been destroyed.


UPDATE: A hit! But...

"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours," the Pentagon said.