NBC News Channel February 22, 2008
Video of satellite shootdown
The U.S. Navy successfully blasted a crippled spy satellite high in the sky over the Pacific Ocean.
It was the missile equivalent of a sniper shot, carried off despite concerned about stormy weather and high seas.
If the Navy had missed, it still had two other specially modified missiles and several days left.
The highly classified satellite, known as USA-193, was said to be the size of a school bus and carrying a half-ton of toxic fuel.
It was launched in 2006 and just stopped working a short time later.
The Pentagon says it was trying to eliminate the small risk to civilians if the satellite fell on its own next month.
Lt. Gen. John Sattler, the Pentagon's Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, said "I believe we have the responsibility to mitigate the risk to the rest of the world."
Some experts said the U.S. was really making sure spy technology didn't fall into the hands of other nations.
John Pike of GlobalSecurity.Org, says "if they did not do this intercept, half the satellite would survive re-entry. Some of those pieces might be big pieces and the Chinese and the Russians might learn something about our technology."
And some of those nations expressed concerns that the U.S. was using an excuse to test anti-missile technology.
© Copyright 2008, NBC News
