March 29, 2019
NEW DELHI: With Mission Shakti, India has tested and successfully demonstrated
its capability to interdict and intercept and take down a satellite orbiting
in outer space using indigenous technology. The anti- satellite missile test
was carried out by DRDO from the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island launch complex off
Odisha coast on Wednesday.
According to a Government statement, the test was done in the lower atmosphere
and therefore there will be no space debris. Any debris formed will decay and
fall back onto the earth within weeks.
The announcement about the successful mission was made by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Wednesday. He said India successfully test- fired an anti-satellite
missile by shooting down a live satellite.
With this, India becomes the fourth country to attain the capability to take
down a satellite from the orbit after US, China and Russia.
Meanwhile, raising the issue of space debris, a US spokesperson said, "The
issue of space debris is an important concern for the US government. We took
note of Indian government statements that the test was designed to address space
debris issues."
The Ministry of External Affairs has issued the following statement:
Why did we do the test?
1. India has a long standing and rapidly growing space programme. It has expanded
rapidly in the last five years. The Mangalyaan Mission to Mars was successfully
launched. Thereafter, the government has sanctioned the Gaganyaan Mission which
will take Indians to outer space.
2. India has undertaken 102 spacecraft missions consisting of communication
satellites, earth observation satellites, experimental satellites, navigation
satellites, apart from satellites meant for scientific research and exploration,
academic studies and other small satellites. India’s space programme is a critical
backbone of India’s security, economic and social infrastructure.
3. The test was done to verify that India has the capability to safeguard our
space assets. It is the Government of India’s responsibility to defend the country’s
interests in outer space.
Is India entering into an arms race in outer space?
1. India has no intention of entering into an arms race in outer space. We
have always maintained that space must be used only for peaceful purposes. We
are against the weaponization of Outer Space and support international efforts
to reinforce the safety and security of space based assets.
2. India believes that Outer space is the common heritage of humankind and
it is the responsibility of all space-faring nations to preserve and promote
the benefits flowing from advances made in space technology and its applications
for all.
3. India is a party to all the major international treaties relating to Outer
Space. India 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. India has been participating
in all sessions of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
4. India supported UNGA resolution 69/32 on No First Placement of Weapons on
Outer Space. We see the No First Placement of weapons in outer space as only
an interim step and not a substitute for concluding substantive legal measures
to ensure the prevention of an arms race in outer space, which should continue
to be a priority for the international community.
5. India supports 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.
What is the international law on weapons in outer space?
1. The principal international Treaty on space is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
India is a signatory to this treaty, and ratified it in 1982. The Outer Space
Treaty prohibits only weapons of mass destruction in outer space, not ordinary
weapons.
2. India expects to play a role in the future in the drafting of international
law on prevention of an arms race in outer space including inter alia on the
prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space in its capacity as a major
space faring nation with proven space technology.
3. India is not in violation of any international law or Treaty to which it
is a Party or any national obligation.
Is the test directed against any country?
1. The test is not directed against any country. India’s space capabilities
do not threaten any country and nor are they directed against anyone.
2. At the same time, the government is committed to ensuring the country’s
national security interests and is alert to threats from emerging technologies.
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.