U.S. to Take First Shot at Spy Satellite Wednesday

A “Notice to Airmen” alert posted on Monday served to clear airspace over a large area over southwest Hawaii gave indication that the United States was preparing to take aim at shooting down the wayward spy satellite USA 193.

That plan now appears set for Wednesday, with the first shot expected between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time. That would place the attempt at 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The United States Navy will take aim at the satellite, which lost power shortly after being launched into orbit in Dec. 2006, from the USS Lake Erie.

There has been a second “Notice to Airmen” posted that cleared the same airspace for a 24 hour period on Thursday, believed to be issued in case the Navy needs a second shot at the USA 193 satellite.

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