India became the fourth nation in the world after US (1958), Russia (1964) and China (2007) to develop the capability to attack low earth space objects meaning satellites in 2011-12. Additionally another test was successfully conducted this morning by a team of researchers and scientists from Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) and ISRO. There is great controversy around this launch citing political reasons.
Apart from the cheap political mileage attempted to be gained by the Indian PM for which there was a huge protest from the scientific and research community in India besides the well-thinking people of India, basically what does this test mean for India ? Are we playing into the hands of our enemies who want us to get more offensive day by day. |
| The threat of Space debris, only for those who can understand. Definitely not the dumb Indian politicians.. |
Do we really need to use this missile to flex our muscles or do have more urgent things to be done in India to uplift the 30 million poor people of the country ? Let’s analyse.
1. The main reason why Dr Manmohan Singh the earlier PM did not authorise these space weapons was the global understanding of the space debris that was going to be a major danger for space objects and future space missions. (click here for BBC report). Even though India claims it was a low earth orbit of 300 kms altitude, and the debris would ultimately fall into the earth and not float around, NASA says it is difficult to predict the exact trajectory the space debris would take.
The European Space Agency said that as of January 2018, there are about 29,000 objects larger than 10 centimeters, around 750,000 objects that range between 1 cm to 10 cm and about 166 million objects between 1 millimeter to 1 cm in size.
2. Good, India moves ahead of other countries of the world in acquiring the space capabilities triad of launch, offence and defence. But we were already the fourth greatest space power for the past four years already !!
3. The advanced countries in Europe and Australia would look up to India for help and advice in times of need. They are looking up to India not to be an impulsive and offensive regional player, but a responsible global peace-loving SUPER POWER ..
4. Even though this is basically an offensive and also a defensive capablity, it is a deterrant for the other countries of the world from interfering in the internal affairs of India and its neighbours.
5. Even though US has completed 60 years after its first Star wars experiment, India has done it only eight years back, reinforced again today, the gap between the first and fourth nation is very large.
6. The technology testing was for low altitude satellites, (where most of the satellites in the world are, except geosynchronous satellites which are at 36,000 kms altitude), what can happen at higher altitudes ? Even the International Space Station and other space assets of less developed countries from Europe etc is within reach of these four countries. If any country from these four acts rogue for some reason, it may well spell the doom of the human race on earth .. China did the ASAT expt at an altitude of 850 km in 2007 and invited lot of international rebuke, like India has done now..Operation Shakthi of India has been the latest such action by India after China blasted one of their satellites Fengyun 1C at an altitude of 800 kms in space which resulted in spreading space debris of 3000 pieces, one of these space debris proved to be detrimental to one of their satellites too.
Operation Shakthi resulted in spreading 400 pieces of space debris as part of out A-SAT exercise. As commented by Chief Administrator of NASA, Jim Bridenstine, this operation has put in 400 more pieces of space debris and after a week only about 20 pieces have been identified. The rest 380 pieces are potential threats for other space vehicles from India and other countries. DRDO and ISRO claims that they will ultimately fall into earth's orbit and get burned off, but in what time frame ? (click here for the CNN reportage of the NASA administrator remark..)
1. Why did ISRO and DRDO take steps to carry out Operation Shakthi at this moment of time, knowing that India already had the capability by 2012 ?
2. Is it election pressure that led PM Modi to resort to this experiment for cheap political propaganda to gain an upper hand ?
3. Why did DRDO and ISRO get themselves involved in this cheap political game which has seriously eroded the credibility of both the organisations as apolitical organisations ?
4. What can be done to bring back the credibility of both these organisations as national organisations beyond petty political gains ?5. Are our petty actions synchronising with our stature as the next super power of the world ?
Lot of answers need to be settled now.
George..
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