Associated Press

Washington, Feb 8: A dead US spy satellite in a deteriorating orbit is expected to hit the Earth during the first week of March, said officials.

The destination of the hit is unknown. Officials familiar with the situation say about half of the 2,270 kilogram spacecraft will survive its blazing descent through the atmosphere and scatter debris. Some of them will be potentially hazardous, over several hundred miles.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The satellite is outfitted with thrusters that contain the toxic rocket fuel hydrazine.

Thrusters are small engines used to position the satellite in the space. The toxic fuel can cause harm to anyone who comes into contact.

The satellite, known by its military designation US193, was launched in December 2006. It lost power and control following the failure of its central computer, almost immediately afterward. It carried a complex and secret imaging sensor.

US officials do not want the equipment to be recovered by people who should not have control of it.

The destination of the landing can be determined only after the satellite descends to about 59 miles above the Earth and enters the atmosphere.

It will then begin to burn up, with flares visible from the ground, said Ted Molczan, a Canadian satellite tracker. From that point on, he said, it will take about 30 minutes to fall.