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'''USA 193''', also known as '''NRO launch 21''' ('''NROL-21''' or simply '''L-21'''), was an [[United States|American]] military [[spy satellite]] launched on [[December 14]], [[2006]].<ref name="NSSDC-craft">National Space Science Data Center: [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=2006-057A USA 193 spacecraft data]</ref> It was the first launch conducted by the [[United Launch Alliance]].<ref>{{cite web | title = United Launch Alliance set for takeoff - Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation | url=http://www.metrodenver.org/news-center/metro-denver-news/ULA.html | accessdate = 2008-02-22 | year = 2008 }}</ref> Owned by the [[National Reconnaissance Office]], the craft's precise function and purpose were [[Classified information|classified]].
'''USA 193''', also known as '''NRO launch 21''' ('''NROL-21''' or simply '''L-21'''), was an [[United States|American]] military [[spy satellite]] launched on [[December 14]], [[2006]].<ref name="NSSDC-craft">National Space Science Data Center: [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=2006-057A USA 193 spacecraft data]</ref> It was the first launch conducted by the [[United Launch Alliance]].<ref>{{cite web | title = United Launch Alliance set for takeoff - Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation | url=http://www.metrodenver.org/news-center/metro-denver-news/ULA.html | accessdate = 2008-02-22 | year = 2008 }}</ref> Owned by the [[National Reconnaissance Office]], the craft's precise function and purpose were [[Classified information|classified]].


The satellite malfunctioned shortly after deployment, and was intentionally destroyed 14 months later on [[February 21]], [[2008]], by a modified, $60-million [[RIM-161 Standard missile 3|SM-3]] missile fired from the warship [[USS Lake Erie (CG-70)|USS ''Lake Erie'']], stationed west of [[Hawaii]].<ref>{{cite web | title = US shoots down rogue satellite: World: News: News24 | url=http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2274693,00.html | accessdate = 2008-02-22 | year = 2008 }}</ref><ref name=NYTimes>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us/21satellite.html?ex=1361336400&en=ea5702ff269483cc&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss NY Times: Missile Strikes a Spy Satellite Falling From Its Orbit]</ref> The event highlighted growing distrust between the U.S. and [[China]], and was viewed by some to be part of a wider "space race" involving the [[U.S.]], [[China]], and [[Russia]].<ref name=Forbes>[http://www.forbes.com/businessinthebeltway/2008/02/21/china-aerospace-satellites-biz-beltway-cx_bw_0221china.html Forbes: A New Space Race? ] </ref>
The satellite malfunctioned shortly after deployment, and was intentionally destroyed 14 months later on [[February 21]], [[2008]], by a modified, $60-million [[RIM-161 Standard missile 3|SM-3]] missile fired from the warship [[USS Lake Erie (CG-70)|USS ''Lake Erie'']], stationed west of [[Hawaii]].<ref>{{cite web | title = US shoots down rogue satellite: World: News: News24 | url=http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2274693,00.html | accessdate = 2008-02-22 | year = 2008 }}</ref><ref name=NYTimes>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us/21satellite.html?ex=1361336400&en=ea5702ff269483cc&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss NY Times: Missile Strikes a Spy Satellite Falling From Its Orbit]</ref> The event highlighted growing distrust between the [[U.S.]] and [[China]], and was viewed by some to be part of a wider "space race" involving the [[U.S.]], [[China]], and [[Russia]].<ref name=Forbes>[http://www.forbes.com/businessinthebeltway/2008/02/21/china-aerospace-satellites-biz-beltway-cx_bw_0221china.html Forbes: A New Space Race? ] </ref>


==Design==
==Design==

Revision as of 01:18, 27 February 2008

Template:Infobox Spacecraft USA 193, also known as NRO launch 21 (NROL-21 or simply L-21), was an American military spy satellite launched on December 14, 2006.[1] It was the first launch conducted by the United Launch Alliance.[2] Owned by the National Reconnaissance Office, the craft's precise function and purpose were classified.

The satellite malfunctioned shortly after deployment, and was intentionally destroyed 14 months later on February 21, 2008, by a modified, $60-million SM-3 missile fired from the warship USS Lake Erie, stationed west of Hawaii.[3][4] The event highlighted growing distrust between the U.S. and China, and was viewed by some to be part of a wider "space race" involving the U.S., China, and Russia.[5]

Design

USA 193 was part of the NRO's Future Imagery Architecture, which was begun in 1997 to produce a fleet of inexpensive reconnaissance satellites, but has become the agency's most spectacular failure.[4] USA 193 was initially developed by Boeing, which won the contract in 1999, beating out Lockheed Martin with proposals for innovative electro-optics and radar. But after cost overruns, delays, and parts failures, NRO sent the contract to Lockheed, which built USA 193 around the Boeing radar design.[6] Lockheed Martin and Boeing both supported the launch, the first in the joint effort known as the United Launch Alliance.[7]

USA 193 weighed about 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg),[8] with a body thought to be 15 feet (5 m) long and 8 feet (2 m) wide, estimates based on the maximum Delta II payload. With the radar antenna extended, USA 193 was about the size of a basketball court.[9]

Launch data

Malfunction and orbital decay

The satellite entered orbit successfully but lost contact with the ground within hours.[8]

In late January 2008, reports from anonymous U.S. officials indicated a U.S. spy satellite, later confirmed as USA 193,[8] was in a deteriorating orbit and was expected to crash onto Earth within weeks.[16][17] This came as no surprise to amateur satellite watchers, who had been predicting the deorbit of the satellite for some time.[18]

Hazardous materials on-board

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports indicated that the satellite contained the hazardous materials hydrazine and beryllium. [19] Though there was some speculation that the satellite might have a "nuclear" power core, [20] i.e. a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, the FEMA report indicates otherwise.

On January 29, 2008 an Associated Press story quoted a U.S. Air Force general as saying that contingency plans were being made since intact pieces of the satellite "might re-enter into the North American area". [21]

The United States vowed to pay for any damage or destruction caused by their failed satellite. [22]

Destruction

File:Verticle Launch Cells.jpg
View of the vertical launching system on a Ticonderoga-class cruiser.

Planning for the destruction of USA 193 with a missile reportedly began on January 4 2008, with President Bush approving the plan on February 12,[23][24] at an expected cost of $40 million to $60 million.[25] The task force had as its goal 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".[26]

Launch of the SM-3 missile that intercepted USA-193.

On February 14, 2008, U.S. officials announced the plan to destroy USA 193 before atmospheric reentry, stating that the intention was "saving or reducing injury to human life". They said that if the hydrazine tank fell to Earth it "could spread a toxic cloud roughly the size of two football fields".[27] General James Cartwright confirmed that the United States Navy was preparing to launch an SM-3 missile to destroy the satellite, at an altitude of 130 nautical miles (240 km), shortly before it entered Earth's atmosphere.[8]

At 21 February, 03:26 GMT, the missile launch commenced. An SM-3 missile was fired from the Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser USS Lake Erie, and at an altitude of about 133 nautical miles (247 kilometers)[26] above the Pacific Ocean hit the satellite which was travelling with a velocity of about 17,500 mph (around 28,000 km/h or 7.8 km/s). The velocity of the impact was approximately 22,000 mph. The Department of Defense said it has a "high degree of confidence" that the fuel tank was hit and destroyed,[28] but has not yet confirmed it.[29][30] The satellite's remnants were expected to burn up over the course of the next forty days, with most of the satellite's mass re-entering the atmosphere within the first 24 to 48 hours after the missile strike.[26][31]

The cost of the destruction operation has been estimated at between $40 million and $60 million.[23] U.S. officials denied that the action was intended to prevent sensitive technology falling into foreign hands,[8] and also denied that it was a response to the 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test.[32] This was not the first time the United States successfully shot down one of its own satellites, as the United States Air Force had shot down a satellite as early as 1985.[33]

Break up of USA 193 following interception by the SM-3 missile.

Although the U.S. had objected strongly to the earlier Chinese test of an anti-satellite (or ASAT) weapon that created a large amount of space debris, U.S. officials said there was "no parallel" with that test, as USA 193 was in a much lower orbit, and debris from its destruction would deorbit much sooner, probably within weeks, whereas the Chinese test involved a target at a higher, stable orbit whose debris would not deorbit.[8][34]

However, the defense ministry of Russia accused the U.S. of using the hydrazine worries as a cover for a test of an ASAT, and noted that extraordinary measures had never before been needed to deal with the many spacecraft that had fallen to Earth.[34] The New York Times had paraphrased Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the United States National Security Council, as stating that 328 objects had deorbited (controlled and uncontrolled) in the previous 5-year period.[35] U.S. officials maintained that the large quantity of hydrazine on board made USA 193 a special case.[8]

Two examples of uncontrolled atmospheric re-entries causing (or almost causing) damage are the 1978 re-entry of Cosmos 954, a Soviet satellite, which landed in Canada and spread dangerous amounts of radioactive materials over large tracts of land, and Skylab's 1979 re-entry, which rattled windows and dropped small pieces of debris onto to buildings in Esperance, Western Australia (no significant monetary damage resulted, but the U.S. was fined for littering). No weapon existed in 1978 to bring down Cosmos 954, and a Soviet anti-satellite weapon, the first of its kind, was declared operational only ten days before Skylab re-entered the atmosphere, and was not capable of directing the space station's descent.

Before the shootdown, Pentagon officials repeatedly denied that it was meant to bolster the U.S. missile defense program. Six days after the shootdown, "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the mission's success shows that U.S. plans for a missile-defense system are realistic."Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c National Space Science Data Center: USA 193 spacecraft data
  2. ^ "United Launch Alliance set for takeoff - Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  3. ^ "US shoots down rogue satellite: World: News: News24". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  4. ^ a b NY Times: Missile Strikes a Spy Satellite Falling From Its Orbit Cite error: The named reference "NYTimes" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ Forbes: A New Space Race?
  6. ^ Taubman, Philip (November 11, 2007). "In Death of Spy Satellite Program, Lofty Plans and Unrealistic Bids". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-02-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "E-305 New Radar Capability". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Pentagon news briefing of February 14, 2008 (video, transcript): although no name for the satellite is given, the launch date of 2006-12-14 is stated
  9. ^ Covault, Craig (February 6, 2008). "Falling Radar Satellite Adds to NRO Troubles". Aviation Week. The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved 2008-02-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Jonathan's Space Report: No. 575 (2006 Dec 26)
  11. ^ "Vandenberg successfully launches Delta II". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  12. ^ "NASA - NSSDC - Spacecraft - Trajectory Details". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  13. ^ "Spaceflight Now - US plans to fire missile at falling spy satellite".
  14. ^ Ted Molczan (2008-02-11). "TJM obs of 2008 Feb 11 UTC; USA 193 elements". satobs.org.
  15. ^ Ted Molczan (2008-02-19). "Updated elements of USA 193". satobs.org.
  16. ^ BBC: Satellite could plummet to Earth
  17. ^ New York Times: U.S. Spy Satellite, Power Gone, May Hit Earth
  18. ^ Ted Molczan (2007-01-27). "USA 193 elements from observations". satobs.org.
  19. ^ "The article you've requested is not available". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  20. ^ "US warns out-of-control spy satellite is plunging to Earth". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22. {{cite web}}: Text "The Observer" ignored (help); Text "World news" ignored (help)
  21. ^ "Pentagon: Satellite Debris Not a Danger - New York Times". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  22. ^ "U.S. vows to pay for damage caused by satellite". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22. {{cite web}}: Text "Reuters" ignored (help); Text "Science" ignored (help)
  23. ^ a b CNN: Attempt to shoot down spy satellite to cost up to $60 million
  24. ^ "The Associated Press: Satellite Shootdown Plan Began in Jan". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  25. ^ McIntyre, Jamie (2008-02-15). "Attempt to shoot down spy satellite to cost up to $60 million". CNN. CNN. Retrieved 2008-02-23. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ a b c "DoD Succeeds In Intercepting Non-Functioning Satellite" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. February 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |release= ignored (help)
  27. ^ "Officials: U.S. to try to shoot down errant satellite". CNN. February 14, 2008.
  28. ^ "Pentagon confident missile hit satellite fuel tank". CTV Television Network. February 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "Satellite Shoot Down: How It Will Work". Space.com. February 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "Navy Hits Satellite With Heat-Seeking Missile". Space.com. February 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "CNN: Navy missle hits satellite".
  32. ^ "Pentagon plans to shoot down disabled satellite". Reuters.
  33. ^ "Anti-satellite weapon used simple technology - space - 20 January 2007 - New Scientist Space". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  34. ^ a b BBC: US spy satellite plan 'a cover'
  35. ^ New York Times: Satellite Spotters Glimpse Secrets, and Tell Them
  36. ^ Cite error: The named reference satcat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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