The United States has warned ships in the Pacific that at some point on Thursday it will attempt to shoot down a crippled spy satellite.
The US has told, New Zealand, Australia and a handful of other nations to be on standby for falling debris from the highly classified satellite, because there is a minute possibility of the strike misfiring and debris falling on land rather than water.
The US says it wants to destroy the satellite before it hits earth because its dangerous rocket fuel may spill across land.
The Pentagon says the US Navy would try to shoot down the satellite before it enters the atmosphere, using a modified tactical missile from a ship in the Pacific, to avert a potentially deadly leak of toxic gas from its fuel tank.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morell says military leaders are reasonably confident one, or perhaps two missile shots, will bring the satellite down before it re-enters the atmosphere.
Some space experts have criticised the decision to shoot down the satellite, saying the risk of it causing any damage on the ground is remote.
