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USA 193

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Status: Operational 2006. First Launch: 2006-12-14. Last Launch: 2006-12-14. Number: 1 .

Later it was revealed the on-board propulsion system had completely failed, putting the satellite in a rapidly-decaying orbit. The Pentagon said that the hydrazine propellant aboard constituted a risk and announced they would shoot the satellite down. The real objective may have been to demonstrated US antisatellite capability after a Chinese test in 2007. In any case, on 21 February 2008 the satellite was down to a 242 km x 257 km orbit. At 03:26 GMT an SM-3 missile was fired from the Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie stationed west of Hawaii to intercept the satellite. The hit-to-kill warhead successfully rammed the satellite, breaking it up into 153 catalogued items of debris with perigees of 170-250 km and apogees of up to 2700 km.

NASA NSSDC Master Catalog Description

USA 193 is an American military satellite that was launched from Vandenberg AFB at 21:00 UT on 14 December 2006. It is a highly classified spacecraft, owned and operated by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). No further details are available.

• USA 193 - . Nation: USA. Agency: Seal Beach. Class: Technology. Type: Military technology satellite. Spacecraft: USA 193. Decay Date: 2008-02-29 . USAF Sat Cat: 29651 . COSPAR: 2006-057A. Apogee: 376 km (233 mi). Perigee: 354 km (219 mi). Inclination: 58.50 deg. Period: 91.83 min.

  Classifed NRO mission of uncertain objectives, possibly military observation with a mixed payload. Later it was revealed the on-board propulsion system had completely failed, putting the satellite in a rapidly-decaying orbit. The Pentagon said that the hydrazine propellant aboard consituted a risk and announced they would shoot the satellite down. The real objective may have been to demonstrate US antisatellite capability after a Chinese test in 2007. In any case, on 21 February 2008 the satellite was down to a 242 km x 257 km orbit. At 03:26 GMT an SM-3 missile was fired from the Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie stationed west of Hawaii to intercept the satellite. The hit-to-kill warhead successfully rammed the satellite, breaking it up into 153 catalogued items of debris with perigees of 170-250 km and apogees of up to 2700 km.