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| Last Updated: Sunday, 27 January 2008, 04:17 GMT Satellite could plummet to Earth A "large" US spy satellite has gone out of control and is expected to crash to Earth some time in late February or March, government sources say. Officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the satellite had lost power and propulsion, and could contain hazardous materials. The White House said it was monitoring the situation. A spokesman said "numerous" satellites had come out of orbit and fallen back to Earth harmlessly over the years. "We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause," said Gordon Johndroe, who speaks for the US National Security Council. Questioned by The Associated Press, he would not be drawn on whether the US would try to destroy the satellite, perhaps with a missile. An unnamed official quoted by AP said the US government was keeping lawmakers and other countries abreast of the situation. Fuel hazard The satellite contains the rocket fuel hydrazine, a government official told AP on condition of anonymity. A colourless liquid with an ammonia-like odour, the fuel is a toxic chemical and can cause harm to anyone who comes in contact with it. John Pike, director of the defence research group GlobalSecurity.org, said an uncontrolled re-entry could risk exposure of US secrets. Spy satellites typically are disposed of through a controlled re-entry into the ocean so that no one else can access the spacecraft, he was quoted by AP as saying. The military expert believes that shooting the satellite down would create debris that would then re-enter the atmosphere and burn up or hit the ground. In his estimate, the satellite weighs about 20,000 pounds (9,072kg) and is the size of a small bus. It is possible, he adds, that this one died as long as a year ago and is just now getting ready to re-enter the atmosphere. Another expert, Jeffrey Richelson of the National Security Archive, said the satellite is probably a photo reconnaissance satellite. AP notes that the largest uncontrolled re-entry by a US space agency (Nasa) craft was Skylab. The 78-tonne abandoned space station fell from orbit in 1979. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia, the US news agency says. In 2002, officials believe debris from a 7,000-pound (3,175-kg) science satellite hit the Earth's atmosphere. It rained down over the Gulf, a few thousand miles from where they first predicted it would crash. |
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| Last Updated: Sunday, 17 February 2008, 00:43 GMT US spy satellite plan 'a cover' The Pentagon wants to shoot the craft down from a ship Russia has accused the US of using a plan to shoot down a broken spy satellite as a cover for testing an anti-satellite weapon. The US said last week that it would use a missile to destroy the satellite, to stop it from crash landing. Officials say the satellite contains hazardous fuel which could kill humans. But Russia's defence ministry said the US planned to test its "anti-missile defence system's capability to destroy other countries' satellites". The US says the satellite lost power and communications shortly after it was launched in December 2006 and is now uncontrollable. The decision to destroy the American satellite does not look harmless as they try to claim Russian defence ministry statement It says the satellite is carrying more than 1,000lb (454kg) of hydrazine fuel in a tank which would survive re-entry, and the substance could be released as a toxic gas if the satellite crash landed. The Pentagon said on Saturday that the window for the operation would begin on Wednesday, when the space shuttle Atlantis ended its current mission. But Russia's defence ministry said the US had not given enough information on the reasons for the decision. "Speculations about the danger of the satellite hide preparations for the classical testing of an anti-satellite weapon," a statement reported by Itar-Tass news agency said. BROKEN SATELLITE Owner: National Reconnaissance Office satellite Mission: Classified Launched: Dec 2006 Weight: 5,000lb (2,270 kg) 2,500lb could survive re-entry Carrying hydrazine rocket fuel "Such testing essentially means the creation of a new type of strategic weapons," it added. "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," the statement continued. The Russian defence ministry argued that various countries' spacecraft had crashed to Earth in the past, and many countries used toxic fuel in spacecraft, but this had never before merited such "extraordinary measures". The broken satellite had been predicted to reach the top of the Earth's atmosphere towards the end of February or early March and officials could not predict where it would land. A US general said on Thursday that exposure to the hydrazine would have similar effects to inhaling chlorine or ammonia - a burning sensation in lungs and, if too close and too much, then possibly death. He said that blowing the satellite up would disperse the hydrazine in space, leaving only small-scale satellite debris to fall harmlessly to Earth. The Pentagon says it plans to shoot down the satellite using a modified missile from a US Navy ship in the Pacific. Last year, China carried out a test using a ground-based ballistic missile to destroy a satellite in space, prompting international alarm and fears of a space arms race. On Thursday, US General James Cartwright said there was no parallel with Beijing's actions as the Chinese satellite had been much further out from Earth, meaning its debris could be floating around for decades, endangering spacecraft. He also denied claims that the main aim was to destroy secret parts. Gen Cartwright said confidential components would be burned up in the atmosphere and, in any case, that would not be a reason for shooting down the satellite. |