India has shot down a low-earth orbit satellite in
space, propelling itself into an elite club of nations, which has
mastered this anti-satellite (ASAT) missile technology, said PM Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Wednesday. PM Modi, however, was quick to point out the intent of DRDO's "Mission Shakti" is
to defend India’s space assets and not to start any arms race in space.
Since there are no treaties governing the use of ASAT, India is not in
violation of any international conventions.
Mint looks at what is Mission Shakti why it is path-breaking:
1. The
use of ASAT is seen as crossing new frontier just like India’s 1998
nuclear tests. Anti-satellite technology has so far been in the hands of
very few countries: the United States, Russia and China. The
acquisition and demonstration of this technology make India a member of
an elite group of countries.
2. The
fact that this anti-satellite technology is indigenously developed adds
to India’s credentials, given that for many decades India was kept away
from acquiring key technologies, forcing the country to develop its own
space and nuclear capabilities.
3. The
anti-satellite space technology shows India’s focus on security
challenges, emanating beyond Pakistan. “The ASAT weapon is likely to be
the most potent military tool for the armed forces over the next few
decades, notwithstanding a revolutionary technological breakthrough,"
according to Arvind K. John, analyst with New Delhi-based think-tank
Observer Research Foundation.
4. The
acquisition of this technology is expected to have spin-offs that India
can exploit for commercial use, both domestic and globally.
Having developed its own vehicles for commercial satellite launches,
today India is launching satellites of other countries. There was a time
it used to piggyback on French-made launch vehicles such as the Ariane.
“This technological achievement will have many spin-offs that we can
exploit for civilian commercial use," said a government official who did
not want to be named.
5. Coming
as it does after the surgical strikes against Pakistan in 2016 and the
Balakot air strike last month, Mission Shakti is expected to burnish the
nationalist credentials of PM Modi and the National democratic Alliance
(NDA), which has been putting emphasis on indigenously developed
technology, skills and enterprise.
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