Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Weapons

Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Weapons Latest News

India is recognised as a key player in creating global norms for responsible space behaviour, said Marjolijn van Deelen, EU Special Envoy for Space. She highlighted India-EU collaboration at the Global Technology Summit

About Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Weapons

• ASAT weapons are specialised technologies designed to disable, destroy, or interfere with satellites in orbit for strategic or defensive purposes.
• ASATs are a key component of space warfare capabilities and are used to neutralise enemy satellites for surveillance, communication, navigation, or early warning systems.
• ASAT weapons are broadly classified into two categories:
  • Kinetic Energy ASATs: These involve direct physical impact, usually through missiles that collide with satellites to destroy them. The impact generates orbital debris, which can pose a long-term hazard to other space assets.
  • Non-Kinetic ASATs: These use non-physical means such as cyber-attacks, jamming, spoofing, and directed energy weapons like lasers to disrupt or blind a satellite without physically destroying it.
• ASAT weapons can be launched from ground stations, aircraft, or even other satellites, making them versatile and difficult to detect in some cases.
• As of now, four countries — the United States, Russia, China, and India — have demonstrated operational ASAT capabilities through tests.
• India’s ASAT Test (Mission Shakti) was conducted in March 2019, where a live satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) was destroyed by a three-stage interceptor missile at an altitude of around 300 km in a "hit-to-kill" mode.
• The global community, particularly the European Union (EU), has expressed concern about the space debris created by destructive ASAT tests and has called for a ban on such practices under the United Nations framework.

About Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO)

• RPO refers to the intentional manoeuvring of one spacecraft close to another in space, either for docking, inspection, or other mission objectives.
  • Rendezvous operations involve two space objects adjusting their orbital parameters, such as trajectory, plane, altitude, and phasing, to approach one another for docking or berthing.
  • Proximity operations involve maintaining a spacecraft in the vicinity of another object on a pre-planned relative path without necessarily making contact.
• While RPOs are commonly used for scientific, repair, or refuelling missions, they can also be used for espionage, disruption, or disabling other satellites, especially if performed without prior notification or by unfriendly actors.

Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Weapons FAQs

Q1. What are Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Weapons?
Ans. Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Weapons are designed to disable, destroy, or interfere with satellites for strategic military purposes, including communication, surveillance, and navigation.

Q2. When did India successfully test its first ASAT weapon?
Ans. India conducted its first successful ASAT test, codenamed 'Mission Shakti,' on March 27, 2019, making it the fourth country after the USA, Russia, and China to demonstrate this capability.

Q3. What was the target of India’s Mission Shakti ASAT test?
Ans. The ASAT weapon targeted and destroyed an Indian live satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of around 300 km.

Source: TH