Satellite USA-193 Destroyed

Satellite USA-193 has been successfully struck with a Standard Missile 3 on Wednesday night at about 10:30 PM EST over Hawaii. USA-193 was a spy satellite that had lost power some time ago. To prevent the satellite from reentering the atmosphere and releasing its hydrazine fuel, US officials shot the satellite out of the sky. China conducted a similar exercise last year. The event was not visible from my midwestern location, but the debris cloud from the event may make several passes over the US. This video shows the expected path of the debris cloud after the satellite's destruction.

Watch for debris reentering the atmosphere over the next few days. It will appear somewhat like a meteor. If you see anything, please leave a comment. I'd be interested to hear about sightings!

Clear skies!