WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Pentagon officials estimate it could cost up to $60 million to shoot down a malfunctioning U.S. spy satellite as it re-enters Earth's orbit.
Naval scientists have been working since last month to modify an Aegis missile defense system to shoot down the satellite after the U.S. space shuttle lands Wednesday, CNN reported Saturday.
"The window will open when the shuttle is on the ground," said Lt. Gen. Carter Ham.
The expenses include a missile that costs nearly $10 million and expensive modifications. For example, sensors designed to detect heat from an incoming warhead are being modified to detect the cooler satellite, which has no heat source, and modifications are being made in radar systems to track the satellite's path as it descends from orbit, CNN reported.
The spy satellite malfunctioned after launch in December 2006 and its fuel tanks remain full and could disperse potentially deadly fumes over an area the size of two football fields if it is not shot down, Ham told CNN.
