NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday made its way into an elite club of “space superpowers” as its anti-satellite missile A-SAT successfully targeted a live satellite on a low earth orbit in just three minutes.
So far, only three countries – the US, Russia & China — have this technology.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announcing the feat, said: “I assure the international community that our capability won’t be used against anyone but is purely India’s defense initiative for its security. We are against an arms race in space. This test won’t breach any international law or treaties.”
Apart from highlighting India’s prowess in space technology, the development also assumes significance in the context of Pakistan and China. India certainly won’t like to be surprised by C4ISR-driven (Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) warfare.
In July last year, Pakistan launched the Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS-1) and the Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellite (PakTES-1A) from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Centre.
The PRSS-1 is the first optical remote-sensing satellite sold to Pakistan by China. The 1,200 kg satellite will operate at an altitude of 640 kilometers.
The Pakistan Foreign Office has officially announced that PRSS-1 will enable the country “to meet its imagery requirements in the areas of land mapping, agriculture, urban and rural planning, environmental monitoring, natural disaster management, and water resource management for socio-economic development.”
However, the satellite may have military applications as well.
Notably, PRSS-1’s carrier frequency, 8.2 GHz, is part of the X-band region of the spectrum (which ranges from 8.0-12.0 GHz), which is usually used for communication with mobile platforms such as aircraft, ships, UAVs, and ground forces.
Chinese interests are also reflected in one of the stated objectives of the satellite deployment: The PRSS-1 will also be used to provide remote sensing information for the Belt and Road region.
According to an article in ‘Gateway House’, the PRSS-1 is also believed to carry two high-resolution payloads, including a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for terrestrial and marine imagery and geospatial intelligence.
The other is an electro-optical (EO) imaging system with tactical C4ISR applications.
Along with PRSS-1, Pakistan also launched PakTES-1A, a 285-kilogram satellite equipped with an optical payload that will operate at an altitude of 610 km.
Reacting to India’s announcement of its successful A-Sat missile launch, China hoped India would “earnestly” maintain peace and tranquillity in outer space.
“We are aware of relevant reports, and we hope that all countries will earnestly safeguard lasting peace and tranquillity in outer space,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
China achieved this feat in 2007 by shooting its weather satellite.
China is an emerging superpower in outer space. President Xi Jinping wants his country to surge ahead of the US and Russia by launching scores of satellites.
2013 China joined the US and Russia to “soft-land” on the moon.
