Mission Shakti – DRDO’s Anti-satellite Weapon
India has become the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to acquire the capability of space warfare. Indian scientists successfully conducted Mission Shakti, shooting down a live satellite target in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
A Low Earth Orbit refers to an altitude up to 2,000 km. A satellite in the LEO can monitor activities on the ground and water surfaces. Such a satellite can be used for espionage and pose serious threat to the country’s security in the instances of war.
A-SAT can target LEO satellite
An anti-satellite missile, the one that was fired by the scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), can target LEO satellite. The missile can incapacitate or completely destroy the satellite in the LEO range. India is only the 4th country to acquire such a specialised and modern capability, and the entire effort is indigenous.
India possess “Building Blocks”
The United States was the first nation to build space warfare capability that it developed in late 1950s. The erstwhile USSR followed the US and had acquired this capability by early 1960s. China was the third country to launch A-SAT. China conducted its first A-SAT test in 2007. No country has used an A-SAT against another nation till date. In all the instances, the nation’s testing anti-satellite missiles have targeted one of their defunct satellites to showcase their space warfare capabilities.
-Noel Fernandez
Team, ScienceNow Digital
