{"id":16611,"date":"2019-03-28T09:38:54","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T01:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=16611"},"modified":"2019-03-28T09:38:55","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T01:38:55","slug":"india-says-it-successfully-test-fires-anti-satellite-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=16611","title":{"rendered":"India says it successfully test-fires anti-satellite weapon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully launched the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Interceptor missile, in an Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) missile test \u2018Mission Shakti\u2019 engaging an Indian orbiting target satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in a \u2018Hit to Kill\u2019 mode from the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island, in Odisha on March 27, 2019. Photo courtesy pib.nic.in<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NEW DEHLI, March 28 (NNN-PTI) – India\u00a0“successfully” carried out an anti-satellite\u00a0missile\u00a0test to verify its capability to safeguard space assets and it was not directed against any country, the\u00a0Ministry of External Affairs\u00a0said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry also said\u00a0India\u00a0has no intention of entering into an arms race in outer space and it has been maintaining that space must be used only for peaceful purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The test is not directed against any country. India’s space capabilities do not threaten any country and nor are they directed against anyone,” the MEA said in a 10-point explainer on the anti-satellite\u00a0missile\u00a0test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a televised address,\u00a0Prime Minister\u00a0Narendra Modi\u00a0Wednesday announced that\u00a0India\u00a0<\/a>shot down a satellite in space with a missile, catapulting the country into an elite club of space powers alongside the US,\u00a0Russia\u00a0and\u00a0China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2007,\u00a0China\u00a0had carried out an anti-satellite\u00a0missile\u00a0test. Experts and former scientists said though India had the capability by 2012 to carry out similar test, political leadership did not give a clearance to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“India had the capability to carry out\u00a0anti-satellite missile test\u00a0in 2012-13 but there was no political clearance to it,” said former DRDO chief\u00a0Vijay Saraswat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explaining significance of the test, the MEA said India has successfully demonstrated its capability to interdict and intercept a satellite in outer space based on complete\u00a0indigenous technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The satellite used in the mission was one of India’s existing\u00a0satellites\u00a0operating in lower orbit while a ballistic missile defence interceptor was used to hit it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We are against weaponization of outer space and support international efforts to reinforce the safety and security of space based assets,” the MEA said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, it said the government was committed to ensuring the country’s national security interests and is alert to threats from emerging technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The capability achieved through the\u00a0anti-satellite missile test\u00a0provides credible deterrence against threats to our growing space-based assets from long range missiles, and proliferation in the types and numbers of missiles,” the MEA said in the FAQ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MEA 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.” 

By conducting the test, the MEA said, India was not in violation of any international law or treaty to which it is a party to or any national obligation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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 placement of\u00a0weapons\u00a0in outer space in its capacity as a major space faring nation,” said the MEA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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,” it said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW DEHLI, March 28 (NNN-PTI) – India\u00a0“successfully” carried out an anti-satellite\u00a0missile\u00a0test to verify its capability to safeguard space assets and it was not directed against any country, the\u00a0Ministry of External Affairs\u00a0said. The ministry also said\u00a0India\u00a0has no intention of entering into an arms race in outer space and it has been maintaining that space must be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":16613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[215,297],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16611"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}