Mission Shakti:

 PM Modi announced that India has successfully test-fired an anti-

satellite (A-SAT) missile by shooting down a live satellite.
 The project named as Mission Shakti was led by the Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) was aimed at strengthening
India’s overall security.

Key facts:

 DRDO-developed A-SAT system successfully destroyed a live satellite in

the Low Earth Orbit.
 India is only the fourth country after the U.S., Russia and China to have
the A-SAT technology.
 The PM Narendra Modi in his address has made clear that the intent of
DRDO’s “Mission Shakti” is to defend India’s space assets and not to
start an arms race in space.
 The indigenous development of the A-SAT technology will have many
spin-offs that India can exploit for civilian commercial use.
 The test was carried out from the Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam Island launch
complex off the coast of Odisha by the DRDO.
 Since the test was done in the lower atmosphere, whatever debris that
is generated will decay and fall back onto the earth within weeks.
 Mission Shakti does not violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty of which
India is a signatory. The treaty prohibits only weapons of mass
destruction in outer space, not ordinary weapons.
 The ASAT test was not directed against any country. India’s space
capabilities neither threaten any country nor are they directed against
anyone. But as an added advantage the capability achieved through the
anti-satellite missile test provides credible deterrence against threats to
our growing space-based assets from long-range missiles and
proliferation in the types and numbers of missiles.
Low Earth Orbit:

 A Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an altitude of

2,000 km or less.
 Most of the manmade objects in space are situated in the LEO. The
altitude of an object in an elliptic orbit can vary significantly along the
orbit.
 A low Earth orbit requires the lowest amount of energy for satellite
placement. It provides high bandwidth and low communication latency.
 The satellites and space stations in the LEO are more accessible for crew
and servicing.

Anti-satellite weapons:

 The anti-satellite weapons (A-SAT) are designed to incapacitate or

destroy satellites for strategic military purposes.
 Several nations possess operational ASAT systems, with others in
development or design.
 Although no A-SAT system has yet been utilised in warfare, several
nations have shot down their own defunct satellites to demonstrate
their ASAT capabilities in a show of force.
 Including the current development, only the United States of America,
Russia, China and India have demonstrated this capability successfully.

India does not violate any treaty:

 After the successful anti satellite missile, MEA said that its anti-satellite
(A-SAT) weapon that successfully destroyed a decommissioned Indian
satellite on a Low Earth Orbit (LEO), is not directed against any country
and its space capabilities do not threaten anyone.
 With this test, India joined an exclusive group of space-faring nations
consisting of the USA, Russia and China.
 DRDO’s Ballistic Missile Defence interceptor was used during the test,
which is part of the ongoing ballistic missile defence programme.
 Clarifying over the use of Kinetic Kill technology for carrying out the test
instead of other ways to demonstrate A-SAT capabilities such as "fly-by
tests” and jamming, the MEA said: "This is a technology where we have
developed capability. Space technologies are constantly evolving. We
have used the technology that is appropriate to achieve the objectives
set out in this mission."
 India underlined that the test was done in the lower atmosphere to
ensure that there is no space debris, adding that the debris generated
will decay and fall back onto the earth within weeks.
 India is a signatory to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which states that
only weapons of mass destruction are prohibited in outer space and not
ordinary weapons.
 India is a party to all the major international treaties relating to Outer
Space. The country already implements a number of Transparency and
Confidence Building Measures (TCBMs) – including
registering space objects with the UN register, prelaunch notifications,
measures in harmony with the UN Space Mitigation Guidelines,
participation in Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination (IADC)
activities with regard to space debris management, undertaking SOPA
(Space Object Proximity Awareness and COLA (Collision Avoidance)
Analysis and numerous international cooperation activities, including
hosting the UN-affiliated Centre for Space and Science Technology
Education in Asia and Pacific, the government informed.
 India has been participating in all sessions of the UN Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
 India is supporting the substantive consideration of the issue of
Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) in the Conference
on Disarmament where it has been on the agenda since 1982.
Source:TH,IE