Seeking the next frontier (ASAT test by India - 2019)

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 Seeking the next frontier (ASAT test by India - 2019)

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• Kinetic kill mechanism : In March 2019, India successfully carried out the ASAT test (anti-satellite) by firing an interceptor missile at an existing satellite in a LEO (Low Earth Orbit) at 300 km height. There is no international treaty on this, so India violated no norms. The debris will likely dissipate fast.
• What China did : They silently did such a test in 2007, and kept quiet till the space debris created (pieces from destroyed satellite) forced Beijing to accept it. It created 3000 pieces of debris at 800 km (so decades to dissipate). US, Russia, China and India now possess this technology, and France and Israel too may.
• US is monitoring the Indian test debris : The US announced that 250-270 pieces are being monitored, and in case of a threat, satellite operators will be informed. The ISS at an altitude of 350 km is not threatened (International Space Station).
• ASAT and BMD : The Ballistic Missile Defence programme imparts capabilities that ASAT uses. BMD targets incoming ballistic missiles, while ASAT targets a hostile satellite. It is easier tracking satellites as they move in fixed orbits (unlike ballistic missiles), but the higher a satellite, the tougher it is (to kill). 
• Indian BMD programme 1999 : Since Pak acquired many missiles from N Korea and China, India embarked upon the BMD programme, first with a modified Prithvi missile (as interceptor).

1. Swordfish radar was developed - a long-range tracking radar for target acquisition of incoming ballistics
2. Testing with system integration began - active RF seekers, fibreoptic gyros, directional warheads etc.
3. In 2011, an incoming Prithvi was destroyed (over Bay of Bengal); more tests continued

• US and USSR in 1980s : Both developed their own ASAT systems as part of their BMD programmes. By 1980s, both concluded their kinetic kill testing, and moved on to co-orbital ASAT and directed energy (laser) system – neutralise satellites without debris.
• A new era of offensive cyber : If the links between a satellite and ground can be disrupted, it is equally bad.
• The crowded space today : First came the Soviet 'Sputnik‘ in 1957, and then 8000 more! Around 5000 are in orbit today, half useless. 50 nations own/operate more than 2000 satellites today. US has 800, China 280, Russia 150, India 50 and so on. (all approx. figures)
• Military satellites : Of the 2000, more than 300 are military, with US having 140, Russsia 90 and China 40. India has 2 dedicated ones (Navy and Air Force). But Indian military uses many civilian govt. satellites for its purposes (communications, remote sensing, location accuracy, meteorology, etc.)
• The debris problem :More than 20,000 golf-ball size objects (debris) exist in space, and lakhs of smaller pieces too (6000 tonnes). US trakcs 23,000 of these for protecting its own assets.
• Space Command : US, Russia and China have setup 'Space Commands', but demands to prevent militarisation of space have risen as space is the "common heritage of mankind".
• 1967 Outer Space Treaty : This treaty was followed by the 1979 Moon Treaty to build a rule of law for space. That will include - no territory appropriation, no weapons of mass destruction to be placed, no military action on Moon or other celestial bodies, etc. But technology has changed totally since then, and US is opposed to any legally binding treaty to prevent "militarisation of space".
• 2008 effort spurned : Russia and China tried to get such a treaty done in 2008, but the US rejected it. In parallel, the EU developed an international code of conduct. The UNGA has asked for commitment from all that they won't be the first to place weapons in space. But global cooperation is now needed.
• Summary : The successful ASAT by India in 2019 is another reminder for the need to have a global treaty against militarisation of space.

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