[meteorite-list] Navy Missile Likely Hit Fuel Tank on Disabled Satellite

[Ron Baalke]

Public Affairs
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
Washington, D.C.

Media contact:
+1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2008

No. 0139-08

DoD Succeeds In Intercepting Non-Functioning Satellite

A network of land-, air-, sea- and spaced-based sensors confirms that the
U.S. military intercepted a non-functioning National Reconnaissance Office
satellite which was in its final orbits before entering the earth's
atmosphere.  
 
At approximately 10:26 p.m. EST today, a U.S. Navy AEGIS warship,  the USS
Lake Erie (CG-70), fired a single modified tactical Standard Missile-3
(SM-3) hitting the satellite approximately 247 kilometers (133 nautical
miles) over the Pacific Ocean as it traveled in space at more than 17,000
mph. USS Decatur (DDG-73) and USS Russell (DDG-59) were also part of the
task force.
 
The objective was to rupture the fuel tank to dissipate the approximately
1,000 pounds (453 kg) of hydrazine, a hazardous fuel which could pose a
danger to people on earth, before it entered into earth's atmosphere. 
Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available
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 earths atmosphere immediately.
Nearly all of the debris will burn up on reentry within 24-48 hours and the
remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days.  
 
DoD will conduct a press briefing at 7 a.m. EST to provide further
information related to the operation. The briefing can be viewed live on
www.Defenselink.com through the Pentagon Channel.


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U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
Washington, D.C.

Feb. 21, 2008

Navy Missile Likely Hit Fuel Tank on Disabled Satellite
By Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- The missile fired from a U.S. Navy ship in the Pacific Ocean
that hit a malfunctioning U.S. reconnaissance satellite late yesterday
likely accomplished its goal of destroying the satellite's toxic fuel tank,
a senior U.S. military officer said here today.

Preliminary reports indicate the SM-3 missile struck its primary target,
which was a tank full of toxic hydrazine rocket fuel carried aboard the
5,000-pound satellite, Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.

"The intercept occurred.   We're very confident that we hit the satellite,"
Cartwright said. "We also have a high degree of confidence that we got the
tank."

Video shown to reporters depicts the satellite exploding at the point of
contact with the missile. Cartwright said the visible fireball and the vapor
cloud or plume around it suggest that the fuel tank was hit and the
hydrazine had burned up.

"The high-definition imagery that we have indicates that we hit the
spacecraft right in the area of the tank," Cartwright said.

However, he added, it probably would take another 24 to 48 hours of sifting
through data "to get to a point where we are very comfortable with our
analysis that we indeed breached the tank."

Radar sweeps of the satellite's debris field thus far show that no parts
larger than a football survived the strike, Cartwright said. Post-strike
surveillance shows satellite debris falling into the atmosphere above the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, he said. Small remnants are likely to burn up
in the atmosphere, never making it to the Earth's surface.

The U.S. State Department has provided updates on the situation to its
embassies around the world, Cartwright noted. There are no reports of debris
reaching the Earth, he said, adding that consequence-management crews are on
standby to respond to such a circumstance, if required.

The SM-3 missile was launched by the USS Lake Erie, positioned northwest of
Hawaii, at 10:26 p.m. EST yesterday, Cartwright said. Defense Secretary
Robert M. Gates, who is on an overseas trip, gave the go-ahead to fire,
Cartwright said.

The missile intercepted the satellite about 153 miles above the Earth, just
before it began to enter the atmosphere, Cartwright said. Joint Space
Operations Center technicians at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif, confirmed
the satalitte's breakup about 24 minutes later.

The National Reconnaissance Office-managed satellite malfunctioned soon
after it was launched in 2006, making it unresponsive to ground control. The
satellite, orbiting Earth every 90 minutes or so, was expected to fall to
Earth in February or March with its tank of hydrazine intact, possibly
endangering human populations.

President Bush directed the Defense Department to engage the satellite just
before it entered the atmosphere. U.S. officials decided to shoot down the
satellite because of the danger posed by the hazardous hydrazine, Cartwright
explained, noting the goal was for the missile to hit and rupture the tank
of rocket fuel, causing the hydrazine to burn up harmlessly in the
atmosphere, along with debris from the stricken satellite.

"So, you can imagine at the point of intercept last night there were a few
cheers from people who have spent many days working on this project,"
Cartwright said.

Biographies:

* Gen. James E. Cartwright, USMC
  http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=138

[NOTE: 
Images supporting this release are available at
http://www.navy.mil/list_all.asp?id=35114

Videos supporting this release are available at
http://dodvclips.mil/index.jsp?auto_band=x&rf=sv&fr_story=FRdamp250959&rf ]

*****

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
Washington, D.C.

Feb. 21, 2008

Gates Pleased by Mission's Success
By Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service

HONOLULU -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates was pleased when he learned a
U.S. Navy missile hit the crippled spy satellite that was falling out of
orbit and threatening to spill its toxic rocket fuel upon re-entry.

Defense officials could not immediately confirm that the fuel tank had been
hit, and said they hope to know for sure by late tonight.

At 5:35 p.m. in Hawaii (10:35 p.m. EST), Gates received a call from Vice
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright and
U.S. Strategic Command Commander Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton delivering
the news that the mission was a success, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff
Morrell said.

"The secretary was obviously very pleased to learn that, and he
congratulated General Cartwright and General Chilton, as well as their
teams, on a job well done," Morrell said.

At about 1:40 p.m. EST yesterday, while en route to Hawaii from Washington,
Gates held a conference call with the two generals and was told the
conditions were "ripe" for an attempt. That is when the secretary gave the
go-ahead for the Navy to take the shot, and he wished them luck in their
attempt, Morrell said.

At about 10:26 p.m. EST, a U.S. Navy Aegis warship, the USS Lake Erie, fired
a single modified tactical Standard Missile 3, hitting the satellite about
133 nautical miles over the Pacific Ocean as it traveled in space at more
than 17,000 mph, according to a Defense Department statement.

The objective was to rupture the fuel tank to dissipate the roughly 1,000
pounds of hydrazine, a hazardous fuel that could pose a danger to people on
Earth.

"The secretary, like all of us, is standing by to learn more how successful
the intercept was," Morrell said. "After all, the goal here was not just to
hit the satellite. The goal here was to hit and destroy the fuel tank to
eliminate it as potential danger to those of us here on Earth."

Because of the relatively low altitude of the satellite at the time of the
engagement, debris would have started re-entering the earth's atmosphere
immediately, officials said, and nearly all of the debris will burn up on
re-entry within two days.

Should any large pieces of the satellite's debris make it to Earth, special
teams are on alert and positioned within the U.S. Pacific Command, Navy.
Adm. Timothy J. Keating, PACOM commander, told reporters traveling with the
secretary shortly after Gates landed here.

"(The teams are there) to lend assistance should parts of the satellite
survive the missile impact and hit," he said. "We don't think the hydrazine
container is going to hit. That's why we're shooting at it. But if it does,
we're prepared to assist with specially trained teams that are on alert at
various places throughout our area of responsibility."

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen also spoke to reporters
here and said the shoot-down does not threaten any country and is not a new
space race with any country.

"What we've tried to do from the beginning was be as open as possible about
the intention," the chairman said during a news conference at Hickam Air
Force Base. "We are taking the shot at what we hope will be an altitude that
will minimize the amount of space debris that will occur. We've engaged
governments throughout the world to tell them what our intentions are. We
have been very transparent, very open in that regard."

The admiral made a point that the Navy's Standard Missile 3 had to be
modified to fly the mission at all, and that it would be used only in this
kind of emergency response to similar potential dangers.

Gates stopped in Hawaii on the first leg of a nine-day trip around the world
aimed at reinforcing relationships with some countries he has yet to visit
as defense secretary. In addition to U.S. Pacific Command here, the
secretary will participate in annual bilateral talks with Australia, and
discuss security matters with his counterparts in Indonesia, India and
Turkey.

(Jim Garamone of American Forces Press Service contributed to this story.)

Biographies:

* Robert M. Gates
  http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=115
* Adm. Mike Mullen, USN
  http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=139
* Adm. Timothy J. Keating, USN
  http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=68

Related Sites:

* U.S. Pacific Command
  http://www.pacom.mil/
* USS Lake Erie
  http://www.lake-erie.navy.mil/
* Photo Essay: Satellite Shoot Down
  http://www.defenselink.mil/PhotoEssays/PhotoEssaySS.aspx?ID=592