The U.S. Navy says its mission to shoot down a satellite that was falling back to Earth was a success. The Navy fired a single modified tactical missile, hitting the satellite at about 133 nautical miles over the Pacific Ocean. Now, China is not happy.
Digital Journal -- The U.S. Navy says its mission to shoot down a falling satellite was successful and has been confirmed by a network of land-, air-, sea- and spaced-based sensors.
The satellite (the size of a school bus) was shot out of space at about 10:26 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 20. The satellite was travelling at more than 17,000 mph (27,359 km/h) and was downed by a modified Standard Missile-3 (SM-3).
The Navy says its objective was to rupture the fuel tank and dissipate the hazardous fuel. As DigitalJournal.com previously reported, the satellite was loaded with about 1,000 lbs. of hydrazine, a fuel that can be harmful if it comes in contact with people.
However, some reports say the U.S.'s real reason for shooting down the satellite was to protect it from falling into the hands of other countries, as it might contain sensitive information. Jeffrey Richelson, a senior fellow with the National Security Archive, said the spacecraft is likely a photo reconnaissance satellite. Such satellites are used to gather information on terrorists, construction projects and military bases around the world.
A modified tactical missile was fired from a U.S. Navy cruiser to bring down a U.S. satellite as it fell back to Earth.
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Critics say the U.S. only had one objective in shooting this satellite down: Ensuring it would not fall into the hands of the Chinese or Russians. U.S. officials, however, say protecting human life was the only goal in this mission.
The tank was ruptured by the U.S. Navy missile before the satellite entered into the Earth's atmosphere. The Navy now warns debris will follow because it was orbiting low, but said most of it should burn up on reentry over the next 24 to 48 hours.
China has been put on alert for falling debris, and the Chinese government has asked the White House to be prompt in delivering information as it becomes available.
At a news conference, China spokesman Liu Jianchao said: “China is continuously following closely the possible harm caused by the U.S. action to outer space security and relevant countries. China requests the U.S. to fulfill its international obligations in real earnest and provide to the international community necessary information and relevant data in a timely and prompt way so that relevant countries can take precautions.”
China also accuses the U.S. of holding double standards; the country was criticized by the U.S. and other countries last year when it shot down one of its own satellites. Critics (including the U.S.) said the action was dangerous.
A U.S. warship fires a Standard Missile-3 during a military test. The same missile was used to shoot down the falling satellite. - Photo courtesy U.S. Navy
An editorial in the Communist party's newspaper, the People's Daily, said Washington was "desperately trying to explain away" this missile-take down "for purely non-military objectives" when in fact, China says, the U.S. has dangerous space ambitions and double-standards.
"The United States, the world's top space power, has often accused other countries of vigorously developing military space technology, but faced with the Chinese-Russian proposal to restrict space armaments, it runs in fear from what it claimed to love," the paper said.
Fire Controlman 2nd Class Andrew Jackson launches a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) from the Combat Information Center aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70). - Photo courtesy U.S. Navy
The Chinese government is referring to a proposed treaty from China and Russia that sought to ban weapons in space, but Washington rejected the proposal, saying it was unworkable. The Guardian reports the U.S. government instead wants to pursue confidence-building efforts.
"The United States will not easily abandon its military advantage based on space technology, and it is striving to expand and fully exploit this advantage," the People's Daily report reads.
To see a video of the missile being launched (as well as a really horrible animation of its contact with the satellite), check out this AP report:
We just demonstrated ABM capability and China? WHAAAAAA!.
I want to know how CHINA is on alert for falling debris? Mass paranoia with an agena! Most of this debris will burn up-no more than what enters the atmosphere anyway.
Sorry China-not getting the info. Not this time. And yes, we have superior ABM capabilities. Here's a tissue.
bright....I think it was the fuel tank and whether or not it hat exploded in space or burned up in the atmosphere. 24 hour watch just to be safe but they aren't concerned. China is trying to make a big deal out of it for its own agenda.
Symptoms of acute (short-term) exposure to high levels of hydrazine may include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, dizziness, headache, nausea, pulmonary edema, seizures, coma in humans. Acute exposure can also damage the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. The liquid is corrosive and may produce dermatitis from skin contact in humans and animals. Effects to the lungs, liver, spleen, and thyroid have been reported in animals chronically exposed to hydrazine via inhalation. Increased incidences of lung, nasal cavity, and liver tumors have been observed in rodents exposed to hydrazine.[17]
Only one human is known to have died from exposure to hydrazine hydrate.[18]
One human loss is a fortunate thing, relatively speaking.
So here's the situation, in short: the U.S. shoots a missile from a ship on the high seas, fires it at an orbiting object in space, an object about the size of a school bus, moving at a high rate of speed, and hits it with one shot. Has anyone ever been skeet shooting? Duck hunting? A moving target is a harder target to hit than a still target, factor in the rate of speed the object was traveling and the distance involved, that's one helluva shot.
Poor China, they are just pouting because they got one upped. I really don't care if our country was testing its national defense. It is sad that we have to even explain to a country that is trying to destroy the US through bad trade products that we are testing our missle defenses on a potentially dangerous statellite that if left intact could be dangerous to others as well as a threat to our national security. ( Yeah I think it was ALL of those reasons, lets be realistic)/
China hit a stationary satellite and bragged about it, we hit one going well faster than most missles and blasted it out of the sky. They are rubbing thier injured pride right now.
Double standard? Really. I think it just proves the US is a one shot, one kill force to be reckoned with. China is apparently paying some attention to that point of fact.
I want to give people the benefit of the doubt, but China and the old Soviet Union have always been so ham-handed about this sort of response/complaint. It just reads like propaganda to me. Nice shot!
And if the United States had not shot it down the potential for injuring or killing hundreds in it's path when it hit the earth would have been labelled irresponsible or worse.
China can take a long walk off a short pier until their red stars float.
The Hydrazine could have been a story generated to rationalize the shooting down of the satellite. As civilians, we can never be expected to know the real truth. The US military lies to cover its butt on military operations on a daily basis. So does China, and so does Russia. The US does have a double standard about its stand on a number of programs. So does China, and so does Russia... but then so do many other countries who do not have space capability. The US is very secretive about its developed technologies, and will do anything to keep them that way. And so are countries around the world smart enough to develop something. This is an eternal battle of he said, she said, pointing fingers, and crying... unfair. If someone else recovered our technology from the satellite, do you think they would graciously had it over without doing all they could to pick it apart, to see how it works? Not a chance.
China Says Missile Fired at Falling Satellite Shows U.S. Holds Double Standard
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