CAL OES: U.S. military intercepted NRO Satellite

Thursday, February 21, 2008

CAL OES: U.S. military intercepted NRO Satellite

U.S. Navy handout a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) is launched from guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie.

State of California OES:
U.S. military intercepted a non-functioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite

Per the United States (U.S.) Department of Defense, 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 1926 hrs 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 earth's 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.

At this time it is unknown exactly when and where the impact of the debris
will occur. OES Staff is working with the FEMA National Operation Center to
ascertain any information updates from the U.S. Department of Defense as
they become available.

This report will be updated as soon as information is available

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Thursday, February 21, 2008