ARLINGTON, VA — At 10:29 p.m. last night the Navy confirmed it hit the falling defense intelligence satellite using an SM-3 missile fired from the deck of the USS Lake Erie in the Northern Pacific. Navy officials say the missile likely destroyed its intended target, the satellite's 1,000 pound fuel tank.

"There are good first indications the shot was successful. There was an explosion on impact and over 80 pieces of debris were detected after initial assessments," an official said.

The blast was a good sign because the warhead was non-explosive, meaning the explosion was likely caused by hitting the gas tank. The large amount of debris detected is also positive because it indicates they struck one of the satellite's more massive sections, and the tank is one of its largest.

The missile hit the satellite about three minutes after launch as the spacecraft, roughly the size of a school bus, traveled in polar orbit at more than 17,000 mph.

Three Navy ships along with land observers with the Joint Integrated Missile Defense Team in Colorado Springs and Strategic Command in Omaha will continue to study the levels of damage.

A statement released by the Department of Defense said the debris will begin to enter the Earth's atmosphere almost immediately and "nearly all of the debris will burn up on reentry within 24 to 48 hours".