Houston...We Have a Problem

Looks like we’ve got heavy seas in the launch area. With the space shuttle Atlantis arriving today, the window has officially opened for the satellite shoot-down. Unfortunately, high seas in the launch area will probably delay the shoot-down, which was expected to be tonight, until tomorrow. We do have some more specifics though.

The shoot-down will be conducted by a three-ship task group, including the Aegis missile cruiser USS Lake Erie and the destroyers USS Decatur and USS Russell. Lake Erie, commanded by Capt. Randall Hendrickson, is expected to take the shot. Hendrickson is the most experienced Aegis missile defense (AEGIS BMD) Captain in the US Navy, having commanded four AEGIS BMD tests.

For the uninitiated, Aegis is a highly expensive and extremely advanced radar/fire-control system that was originally developed by the Navy as an anti-ship missile defense system to protect the Fleet against Soviet cruise missiles. Recently, the Navy has been developing a ballistic missile intercept capability aboard several of its Aegis cruisers and destroyers, which has been successfully tested. So, in some military circles, this is seen as another AEGIS BMD test, albeit with a somewhat wider audience.

Others believe this event has more significance. According to this school, there is something valuable on this satellite that DOD doesn’t want to fall into the wrong hands, otherwise, why make sure that it falls into the water? Whether it’s a classified power source or secret radar system that could survive re-entry is anybody’s guess. Either way, get your popcorn ready, cause I sure as hell will be watching.