India has shot down satellite in orbit, now 4th nation in space power: Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that India had joined the elite club of space powers by shooting down a low-earth orbit satellite with an anti-satellite missile (ASAT).

“In the journey of every nation there are moments that bring utmost pride and have a historic impact on generations to come. One such moment is today… something all of us should be proud of. We are not just capable to defend on land, water and air, but now also in spa-ce. I congratulate all scientists who have made this possible and made India a mu-ch stronger nation,” the Prime Min-ister said in an unprecedented broadcast to the nation on televisi-on, radio and social media to announce the success of what he called “Mission Shakti”.

“Our scientists shot down a live satellite 300 km away in space, in low-earth orbit. India has made an unprecedented achievement today. India registered its name as a space power,” Mr Modi said in his address, and asserted that the action was not directed against any country and that the satellite was a predetermined target.

The ASAT missile test, conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisat-ion (DRDO) from the Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha, gives India the rare capability to cause havoc to an enemy country by disrupting its telecom network, Internet services, GPS crucial for navigation of ships in seas, financial system and radars.

It also gives India the ability to destroy spy satellites and disrupt an enemy nation’s capability to launch missiles and drone attacks on the country by blinding them. Moreover, it will provide deterrence against any attempt by any nation to hit Indian satellites in space through long-range missiles.

“The entire effort is indigenous. India stands tall as a space power. It will make India stron-ger, even more secure and will further peace and harmony”, Mr Modi said, and added India is the fourth country to have tested such an anti-satellite weapon after the United States, Russia and China.

The test provides the technology base for intercepting ballistic missiles crucial for India’s security as it is surrounded by two hostile nuclear states — Pakistan and China — which have well-developed missile systems. China had demonstrated this capability first time in 2007 and India needed to create a deterrent to save its growing space assets.  

It was also important for India to conduct the test soon, as there is a fear that the United Nations may ban such tests and India would have been out of the club of nations which have such technologies.

A DRDO-developed ballistic missile defence (BMD) interceptor missile successfully engaged an Indian orbiting target satellite in low-earth orbit in a “hit to kill” mode. The interceptor missile was a three-stage missile with two solid rocket boosters. “Tracking data from range sensors has confirmed that the mission met all its objectives,” said DRDO.

DRDO chairman G. Satheesh Reddy said the clearance for the anti-satellite missile project was given over two years back. India has had the capability to destroy satellites since 2012 when it conducted the first test of the inter-continental ballistic missile Agni-5 with a range of over 5,000 km.

Wednesday’s test required an extremely high degree of precision and technical capability as the missile had to hit the satellite which was moving at a very high speed.  

India said the test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris. “Whatever debris that is generated will decay and fall back onto the earth within weeks,” DRDO said. This is important as in the past China was criticised for creating space debris when it had tested anti-satellite missile as it threatened satellites of other countries moving in their orbits.

Through this test India, is not in violation of any international law or treaty.

India said it has no intention of entering an arms race in outer space. “We have always maintained that space must be used only for peaceful purposes. We are against the weaponisation of outer space and support international efforts to reinforce the safety and security of space based assets,” said the government. It said India supported UNGA resolution 69/32 on no first placement of weapons on outer space.

The Prime Minister had advertised his address to the nation on Twitter, calling it an important message. “Do watch the address on television, radio or social media,” he said, setting off speculation across the country on what the topic was likely to be. Earlier in the day, the Cabinet Committee on Security had met at the PM’s residence.

The Opposition parties crtiticised the announcement that came a fortnight before the start of the general election. Some parties have appealed to the Election Commission to examine any possible violation of the model code of conduct that is in force. The commission has set up a committee of officers to examine the matter immediately. Earlier, EC sources had indicated that announcements related to security matters would not violate the code.

The last time that Prime Minister Modi had addressed the nation so suddenly was on November 8, 2016, when he announced demonetisation. He had also addressed the nation on December 31 that year as the 50-day deadline to deposit or exchange the scrapped notes came to an end.