The Portrait of a Crying Foul "Olympic Host" -- China cries foul as US
shoots down satellite

China cries foul as US shoots down satellite

By Demetri Sevastopulo in Honolulu

Published: February 21 2008 18:28 | Last updated: February 21 2008 18:28

The US navy destroyed a decaying spy satellite that was falling to earth
with potentially hazardous fuel on Thursday, prompting accusations of
double standards from China.

On Wednesday afternoon in the northwest Pacific, an Aegis warship fired
a missile that intercepted the satellite 247km up in space. The USS Lake
Erie launched the missile shortly after Robert Gates, the US defence
secretary, arrived in Hawaii en route to Australia.

Mr Gates was “very happy” with the outcome of the strike, said Geoff
Morrell, a Pentagon press secretary. The navy was attempting both to hit
the satellite before it entered the atmosphere and to destroy the fuel
tank, which the Pentagon said posed a hazard to humans.

General James Cartwright, vice-chairman of the joint chiefs of staff,
said the military had “a high degree of confidence that we got the tank”
but cautioned that it would take another two days to make a final
confirmation.

Earlier, a Chinese Communist party newspaper had accused the US of
double standards. Washington criticised other nations for their space
ambitions, while itself trying to win a military advantage in space, the
overseas edition of the People’s Daily newspaper said.

The national reconnaissance agency launched the spy satellite in
December 2006. But the military lost control of it shortly after it
reached orbit, when the onboard communications systems went dead. Last
month the US informed other countries that the decaying satellite was
falling to earth. President George W.Bush ordered the destruction of
the satellite, which was carrying a toxic fuel called hydrazine.

The Pentagon has rejected suggestions it was using the failed satellite
as a pretext to conduct an anti-satellite weapons test. Last year the US
criticised China for conducting an anti-satellite test, destroying an
ageing weather satellite in space without providing advance notice. Both
tests created debris in space, which experts warned could pose a threat
to other satellites.

On Wednesday night in Hawaii, Admiral Timothy Keating, the head of US
Pacific command, said the US had acted responsibly by informing other
countries in advance. Speaking shortly before the navy took the shot, he
added that “no one has expressed concern”.

Gen Cartwright said debris from the destroyed satellite had started
falling into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The Pentagon on Wednesday
said all the debris would re-enter the atmosphere within the next 40
days. Gen Cartwright played down suggestions the US had destroyed the
satellite partly to stop other countries obtaining sensitive information
about its spy satellites.

Ike Skelton, the Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives
armed services committee, welcomed the successful strike but stressed
that it was an “exceptional case”.

“We abandoned the pursuit of anti-satellite technology two decades ago
due to concerns about the consequences of its use, and our country has
no plans to renew those efforts,” he said.

Additional reporting by Mure Dickie in Beijing

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008