US to Remotely Destroy Malfunctioning Satellite

The Pentagon is planning to fire a missile at a rogue spy satellite that was due to fall to earth early next month.

US defense officials, confirming the plan, did not specify why they intend destroying the satellite but it could be from fear that the sophisticated surveillance equipment - that allows ships to track even through heavy cloud cover - might end up in China, Russia or other country regarded as a military rival.

The US action comes in spite of criticism of China for shooting down one of its satellites just over a year ago.

The officials said they intend firing a specially-modified missile from a US cruiser to destroy the satellite before it enters the earth's atmosphere.

The satellite is about the size of a small bus and weighs about 20,000lb.The point of impact of the malfunctioning satellite, if it had been allowed to fall, is not known.

If the satellite had fallen on a densely-populated area, it would have posed a serious danger, not just because of its size but because of hazardous chemicals aboard, including its fuel tank.

The satellite has not worked since its launch. The cost of the satellite is not known because it was paid for out of the secret 'black' funding that is not made public.

China in January last year shot down a redundant weather satellite to test its missile system.

The US at the time protested over the missile test, seeing it as a hostile action.