The U. S. military claims that it must shoot down a non-functional satellite over the course of the next several days to protect against the possibility of the satellite’s fuel tank leaking out into the atmosphere, and creating a toxic gas cloud. However, experts in the field of aircraft and space security are crying foul. Many experienced missile defense and space authorities are questioning the rationale for the proposed shoot down.
The Deputy National Security Adviser, James Jeffrey, told the press that the satellite’s fuel tank, containing Hydrazine rocket fuel, was the primary rationale for firing a missile at the satellite. Jeffrey claims, “There is a small but real risk that the Hydrazine tank could rupture, releasing a toxic gas over a populated area.”
But interestingly, General James Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, downplayed any threat from the rogue satellite at a press conference yesterday. Cartwright noted that even if the Hydrazine were to escape into the atmosphere, the chances of it affecting anyone were extremely remote, and even then it would likely cause only mild affects.
General Cartwright’s comments match those of many missile defense experts who have scoffed at the military’s official explanation for why they are spending millions to shoot down a disabled satellite that would, if left alone, re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere naturally within the next few weeks.
But if public safety is not the military’s rationale for shooting down the satellite, then what is? Experts believe that there are several likely reasons for using a naval launched missile to shoot down the satellite. First, shooting down the satellite would eliminate the possibility of another nation getting their hands on it and analyzing the technology used– specifically, China or Russia, who both have very active space programs.
Another possible reason: as a warning to the Chinese. The Chinese military fired a missile into space last year to destroy a satellite. While the US condemned this move as reckless and warlike, it seems that now the shoe is on the other foot, and America could be playing a game of one-upmanship with the Chinese.
Whatever the reason for the proposed shoot down, the US is playing a dangerous game, one that has already brought protests from both Russia and China who, like many American experts, have seen through the flimsy rationale for targeting a failing satellite with a next-generation heat-seeking missile.
Whatever the true reason is behind the shoot down, the US appeaars to be edging closer and closer toward a new “arms race” with both China and Russia.
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