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Military Prepares In Case Dead Satellite Crashes In U.S.

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The Associated Press

Published: January 30, 2008

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military is developing contingency plans to deal with the possibility that a large spy satellite expected to fall to Earth in late February or early March could hit North America.

Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, who heads the U.S. Northern Command, told The Associated Press on Tuesday the satellite's size suggests that some number of pieces will not burn up as the orbiting vehicle re-enters Earth's atmosphere and will hit the ground.

"We're aware that this satellite is out there," Renuart said. "We're aware it is a fairly substantial size, and we know there is at least some percentage that it could land on ground as opposed to in the water."

A U.S. official confirmed that the spy satellite, which lost power and no longer can be controlled, was launched in December 2006 and could weigh as much as 10,000 pounds. It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor, but the satellite's central computer failed shortly after launch.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret, said the satellite is designated by the military as US 193 but never reached final orbit. The Pentagon declared it a loss in early 2007.

Renuart added, "As it looks like it might re-enter into the North American area," then the U.S. military, Homeland Security Department and Federal Emergency Management Agency will have to deal with the impact or assist Canadian or Mexican authorities.

He said military agencies are doing an analysis to determine which pieces most likely would survive re-entry. However, he cautioned that officials won't have much detail on where or when it will crash until it begins to move through the atmosphere and break up.

Renuart added that there does not as yet appear to be much concern about sensitive technologies on the satellite falling into enemy hands.

"I'm not aware that we have a security issue," he said. "It's really just a big thing falling on the ground that we want to make sure we're prepared for."

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