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U.S. assumes satellite’s fuel tank destroyed

WASHINGTON: The Defence Department said on Monday it had a “high degree of confidence” that the missile fired at a dead U.S. spy satellite in space destroyed the satellite’s fuel tank as planned.

In its most definitive statement yet on the outcome of last Wednesday’s shootdown over the Pacific, the Pentagon said based on debris analysis it is clear the Navy missile destroyed the fuel tank, “reducing, if not eliminating, the risk to people on Earth from the hazardous chemical.”

The tank had 454 kg of hydrazine, a toxic substance that U.S. government officials believed posed a potential health hazard to humans if the satellite had descended to Earth on its own.

The presence of the hydrazine was cited by U.S. officials as the main reason to shoot down the satellite — described as the size of a school bus — which would otherwise have fallen out of orbit on its own in early March. Pentagon officials had said almost immediately after the shootdown by a missile fired from the USS Lake Erie that it appeared the tank had been hit squarely.

As of Monday, there had been no reports of debris landing on Earth, and it is unlikely any will remain intact to impact the ground, said the Pentagon. — AP

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