The Washington Post says the window to shoot down a classified spy satellite opens late Wednesday night (Eastern Standard Times). The decision to shoot it down is said to be based on the fact that the satellite is carrying
a substantial amount of hydrazine, a hazardous rocket fuel. If the military doesn't shoot it down, the satellite could come crashing to Earth on March 6.
The attempt(s)
will cost between $40 million and $60 million. The Pentagon insists it is not just trying to show off its military might to other countries.
CNN reports:
The U.S. government issued a formal notice warning ships and planes
to stay clear of a large area of the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii.
The notice says the two- and-a-half hour window begins 2:30 a.m.
Thursday Greenwich Mean Time, which is 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on the East
Coast, and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Hawaii.
The timing is also after the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to be safely on the ground.
Pentagon officials caution that the notice reflects the first
opportunity to take a shot at the satellite, but it's possible the
attempt could be delayed until later.
"We have to make the
notification, but it's possible the conditions won't be ideal, or that
everything won't be ready," said a Pentagon official who asked not to
be identified.
Pentagon officials says if the first attempt to
hit the satellite fails, there may be time for a second attempt, but
that would only come after an assessment that would be hours or even
days after the first attempt.
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