A missile from a US warship hit a defunct US spy satellite 133 nautical miles above the Earth in an attempt to blow up its tank of toxic fuel, the Pentagon said last night.
It was too soon to tell if the fuel tank had been destroyed over the Pacific Ocean, the Pentagon said, but a military source said it appeared the mission was successful.
A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) is launched from a guided-missile cruiser, as photographed by the US Navy.
The missile was fired from the USS Lake Eriein the Pacific and hit the bus-sized satellite as it shot through space at more than 27,400 km/h, the Pentagon said.
"Due to the relatively low altitude of the satellite at the time of the engagement, debris will begin to re-enter the earth's atmosphere immediately," it added.
"Nearly all of the debris will burn up on reentry within 24-48 hours, and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days."
Washington says its aim is to prevent harm to humans from the satellite's tank of hazardous fuel. Russia and China have expressed concern, however, with Moscow suggesting the operation could be used as cover to test a new space weapon.