Navy Missile Hits Wayward Spy Satellite on First Attempt

WASHINGTON — A missile launched from a Navy ship struck a dying American spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific yesterday, the Pentagon said.

It was not clear whether the operation succeeded in its main goal of destroying a tank aboard the satellite that carried a toxic fuel that U.S. officials said could pose a hazard to humans if it landed in a populated area.

"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours," the Pentagon said in a written statement.

The USS Lake Erie, armed with an SM-3 missile designed to knock down incoming missiles — not orbiting satellites — launched the attack at 10:26 p.m. EST, according to the Pentagon. It hit the satellite as the spacecraft traveled at more than 17,000 mph.

This attempt was the first real-world use of this piece of the Pentagon's missile defense network. The shootdown is seen by some as blurring the lines between defending against a weapon like a long-range missile and targeting satellites in orbit.

The three-stage Navy missile has chalked up a high rate of success in a series of tests since 2002 — in each case targeting a short-or medium-range ballistic missile, never a satellite. A hurry-up program to adapt the missile for this anti-satellite mission was completed in a matter of weeks.