Bengaluru: It’s a ‘surgical strike’ with a difference a Made-in-India missile destroying Microsat-R, a 700-odd kg satellite launched by Isro as recent as January 2019 but as effective as nuclear tests in Pokhran because Wednesday’s feat matches those of just three other nations, deterring adversaries from attempting an attack on the country’s satellites. Around 11 am on Wednesday, a modified version of DRDO’s ballistic missile system decimated the satellite about 300 km from terra firma (low earth orbit or LEO), with such precision that Dr G. Sateesh Reddy, chairman of DRDO, told this newspaper that “accuracy in terms of centimetres” was achieved with the help of “Kinetic kill” technology developed indigenously.
Just like the nuclear tests, the anti-satellite weapon (A-SAT) was test fired as a deterrent to ward off any threat to space assets of India (48 satellites are in orbit to provide services ranging from communication, navigation, education and scientific research) as well as to bring about a change in the attitude of other nations towards India, given its capabilities in defence and space sectors and its burgeoning economy.
Former chairman of Isro Dr G. Madhavan Nair said, “The first and most important task is to safeguard our space assets which support our economy and a host of other fields. We need this defence system against anyone who turns hostile and attempts to damage our satellites.”
Since mid-2000 DRDO and other organisations have been working on a two-layered ballistic missile defence system to protect major cities and key installations from missile attacks. The double-tiered system consists of land and sea-based missile interceptors, Prithvi Air Defence missiles for high altitude interception, and the Advanced Air Defence missiles for lower altitude interception.
This two-tiered shield has been put in place to intercept missiles flying in from a distance of 5,000 km.
A variant of one of these missile interceptors was used during Wednesday’s test.
All you need to know about A-SAT
The anti-satellite weapon capability demonstrated by India was first developed by the US in 1959, primarily to counter the erstwhile Soviet Union.
What is an A-SAT?
A-SATs (Anti-Satellite Weapons) are aimed at destroying or disabling space assets, whether military or civilian, offensive or defensive, according to a document of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). They are generally of two types: kinetic and non-kinetic.
Kinetic A-SATs
They must physically strike an object in order to destroy it. Examples of kinetic A-SATs include ballistic missiles, drones that drag an object out of orbit or detonate explosives in proximity to the object, or any item launched to coincide with the passage of a target satellite. This means any space asset, even a communications satellite, could become an A-SAT if it is used to physically destroy another object.
Non-kinetic A-SATs
A variety of non-physical means can be used to disable or destroy a space object. These include frequency jamming, blinding lasers or cyberattacks. These methods can also render an object useless without causing the target to break up and fragment absent additional forces intervening.
Test Guidelines
In 2018, the UNIDIR proposed three A-SAT test guidelines. Under the ‘No Debris’ guideline, if an actor wishes to test A-SAT capabilities, they should not create debris. If an actor must create debris during an A-SAT test, it should be carried out at an altitude sufficiently low that the debris will not be long-lived. It also suggested that actors testing A-SATs should notify others of their activities (even if they are not completely transparent on the motivation behind the test) to avoid misperceptions or misinterpretations. However, there is no consensus among the space-faring nations on the guidelines. “Nothing has been formally adopted,” Daniel Porras, Space Security Fellow at UNIDIR, said.
