A salesman watches Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing to the nation, on TV screens inside a showroom in Mumbai, India, March 27, 2019. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
Business Insider: India enters an elite space club after scientists shoot down a low orbit satellite 300 km away in space, says Prime Minister Modi
* Indian scientists have shot down a low orbit satellite 300 km away in space, according to Prime Minister Modi.
* India is the fourth country to wield anti-satellite technology after the US, Russia, and China.
* The technology will be used only for security, peace, and development, Modi reassured, adding that no international covenant had been broken.
According to a televised address by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country's scientists have just shot down a low-orbit satellite 300 kilometers away in space.
"Just a few minutes ago, our scientists shot down a live satellite on the LEO (Low Earth Orbit)," he said, without clarifying which country the satellite shot down belonged to. "They achieved it in just three minutes."
The anti-satellite missiles were developed in India. Modi went on to reassure the international community that India would only be using the new system for its own security and development, and that no international covenant was broken.
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More News On India Boasting That It Has Successfully Tested An Anti-Satellite Weapon
India shoots down satellite in test, Modi hails arrival as space power -- Reuters
Indian PM Modi boasts success of anti-satellite missile launch ahead of election -- NBC News/AP
Mission Shakti: India shoots down live satellite in space, says PM Narendra Modi -- The Independent
Modi's space weapon announcement struggles for lift-off -- The Guardian
India shoots down a weather satellite, declares itself a “space power” -- Ars Technica
China's First Reaction To India's Space Missile Test "Mission Shakti" -- NDTV
Pakistan urges no militarisation of space after India tests anti-satellite missile -- Reuters
What are anti-satellite weapons? -- Al Jazeera
Factbox: Anti-satellite weapons: rare, high-tech, and risky to test -- Reuters
To be useful India would need a tracking system outside India's borders and running 24x7x365. Blowing one of your own up is nice PR but they had exquisite knowledge of the satellites track, not the case in war time for enemy satellites.
ReplyDeleteWhat says they dont have a tracking system? They cant just shoot down someone else satellite for this PR trick. Almost every satellite can be tracked by a simple app already.
ReplyDeleteIn a wartime situation, satellites of high value will change their orbits. So they need a global tracking system. I don't believe they have one. Still it was a neat trick.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that by now every satellite put up there would have a self destruct program for when it is no longer needed. Not saying they actually need to blow up because that would just increase the problem of space junk.
ReplyDeleteWhat they could do is have a mechanism that enables them to be propelled out into space away from Earth. Include a message so the aliens in some far of distant world would think they were sent a gift maybe.