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U.S. all set to hit satellite

— Photo: AFP

Safe return: Space shuttle Atlantis deploys its parachute at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Defence Department said on Wednesday the window of opportunity is now open for it to try to shoot down a failing spy satellite.

The Navy is planning to hit the satellite with a heat-seeking missile as early as Wednesday night. But officials had been waiting for the space shuttle Atlantis to return to Earth so it would not be hit by falling debris.

“We’re now into the window,” a senior defence official told a news conference minutes after the shuttle landed. He said it would remain open until February 29 or 30 and that the decision to attempt a shot would depend on conditions in the atmosphere, such as sea levels, winds and other variables.

“We’re watching weather today,” he said. The ground rules of the news conference were that the official could not be quoted by name.

The military will be making decisions each day on whether to proceed with an attempt or not — and criteria could change several times each day, he said. The opportunity to attempt a shot will be available only seconds each day, said the official.

The attempted shootdown was approved by President George W. Bush out of concern that toxic fuel on board the satellite could crash to earth. China and Russia have expressed concern at the planned shootdown, saying it could harm security in outer space. The military has readied a three-stage Navy missile, designated the SM-3, which has chalked up a high rate of success in a series of missile defence tests since 2002. — AP

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