The US is going to shoot down a broken satellite that is supposedly falling back to the Earth. There is speculation that this display is a response to China's destruction of a weather satellite last January (see here), and others argue that this is a legitimate move by the Pentagon to avoid liability for any damage that might come from the 5,000 pound satellite breaking apart during reentry, which will spread its debris and toxic payload over several hundred miles (see here).
The satellite could be shot down as early as this evening. A report from the Belfast Telegraph says that the USS Lake Erie is moving into position to fire an SM-3 missile at the satellite as it passes over Ireland. The Belfast Telegraph also mentions at the end of the article that the Russian government has criticized the decision to shoot down the satellite.
The Russian government said, "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."
It is quite the coincidence that China and Russia submitted a draft of the Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of Force Against Outer Space Objects and the next day the US announced the need to shoot down one of its satellites. This seems to be a pretty clear statement to the world what the US thinks of the treaty proposed by China and Russia.
This contest of wills in outer space is a fascinating phenomenon. It's good to see the U.S. still has some balls.
Posted by: John Roach | February 21, 2008 at 03:06 PM