Spy Satellite Believed Destroyed Is Seen by Amateur Astronomers

WASHINGTON — An American spy satellite that was believed to have suffered catastrophic failure and broken apart not long after it was launched in March has been spotted 503 miles high by amateur astronomers.

It apparently has been there all along, said Ted Molczan of Toronto, who tracked the bright object seen by three other amateurs and determined it was the secret payload put into orbit from the shuttle Atlantis on March 1.

The Soviet news agency Novosti reported March 7 that four orbiting fragments, “presumably separated from the American spy satellite,” were spotted in orbit. The agency said it assumed “the spy satellite has been blown up by its owners for some unknown reasons.”

At the time, Defense Department spokesman Pete Wilson said two parts “associated with” the payload had entered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up and “the remainder are expected to decay within two to seven weeks.”

The Pentagon insisted, however, that the Atlantis mission “achieved its goal.” But spokesmen never said whether the “mission” was a safe shuttle flight or whether it meant putting a new spy satellite successfully to work.

Asked on Tuesday about this month’s spotting of the satellite, Capt. Marty Hauser, an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon, said he could not go beyond the earlier statements.