Mission Shakti - Forget Pakistan, India's Anti-Satellite Weapons test Star Wars moment is a reply to this nation

ZeeBiz WebTeam | Mar 28, 2019, 12:26 PM IST

India's Mission Shakti,has turned out to be a tremendous positive. It has given India the ability to destroy a low earth orbit satellite. This event has made India the fourth country to declare itself as a space power, after China, Russia and the United States. Developing India's own anti-satellite (A-SAT) capabilities gained traction post China's A-SAT weapons tests. Defense experts, including high ranking military officials advocated a rethink of India's space programme and augmentation of A-SAT weapons after China acquired this capability.
 

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Road to Mission Shakti

Road to Mission Shakti

2011: India's anti-ballistic missile defense program- successfully test fired its interceptor missile which destroyed hostile target at an altitude of 16km over Bay of Bengal. (Reuters/Representative Image)
 

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India's Journey to Mission Shakti

India's Journey to Mission Shakti

2012: DRDO announced that India has capabilities in place to integrate an anti-satellite weapon to neutralize hostile satellites in low Earth and polar orbits. (Reuters/Representative Image)
 

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Mission Shakti a success

Mission Shakti a success

2019: India successfully shoots down a low earth orbit satellite that was 300km in space with an anti-satellite missile, becomes the fourth country after US, Russia and China to achieve the capability. (Reuters/Representative Image)

 

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India's Futuristic Weapons Programme

India's Futuristic Weapons Programme

Kali: 

  • RDO and BARCThe Kilo Ampere Linear Injector 5000 project is a linear electron accelerator being developed in India by D
  • Advanced Medium Combat Air craft and Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft to be developed by HAL


Agni VI:

An intercontinental ballistic missile under development by the DRDO.  (Reuters/Representative Image)

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Futuristic weapons to be inducted in Indian Defence Force

Futuristic weapons to be inducted in Indian Defence Force

INS Vishal:

Under development and is expected to be commissioned in 2030

 

BrahMos II:

Scheduled to be ready by 2020. (DRDO Official Website/ Representative Image)
 

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Countries with A-SAT capabilities

Countries with A-SAT capabilities

2007: China has successfully destroyed a weather satellite using an SC-19 A-SAT on January 11, 2007. The defunct satellite was orbiting at an altitude of 865 kilometers in the Earth's polar orbit.

2008: The USA was able to successfully launch an A-SAT to destroy its own satellite which was decaying in orbiting. USA announced the successful launch of an A-SAT missile in February 20 2008.

2015: Russia tested its first A-SAT system.  (Reuters/Representative Image)

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