The Pentagon says it plans to shoot down a malfunctioning spy satellite before it falls to earth carrying potentially lethal gas. On Thursday, General James Cartwright said the military will try to hit the satellite before it reaches the atmosphere.

General James Cartwright: “Once it hits the atmosphere, it tumbles, it breaks apart. It is very unpredictable and next to impossible to engage. So what we’re trying to do here is catch it just prior to its last minute, so it’s at its lowest possible outside the atmosphere, so that the debris comes down as quickly as possible.”

The Pentagon says it’s not trying to protect classified information on the satellite nor showcase its missile capabilities to China, which shot down a satellite of its own last year.