India Shoots Down Satellite in Test (reuters.com)

India shot down one of its satellites in space with an anti-satellite missile on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, hailing the country's first test of such technology as a major breakthrough that establishes it as a space power. From a report: India would only be the fourth country to have used such an anti-satellite weapon after the United States, Russia and China, said Modi, who heads into general elections next month. "Our scientists shot down a live satellite 300 kilometres away in space, in low-earth orbit," Modi said in a television broadcast. "India has made an unprecedented achievement today," he added, speaking in Hindi. "India registered its name as a space power." Anti-satellite weapons allow for attacks on enemy satellites, blinding them or disrupting communications, as well as providing a technology base to intercept ballistic missiles. Update: U.S. says studying India anti-satellite weapons test, warns on debris.

Comments

Space Debris

[mholve]

Thanks for contributing. Have a nice day!

Re:Space Debris

[ShanghaiBill]

Nope. No space debris. The satellite was destroyed in very low earth orbit. Really in the upper reaches of the atmosphere. The orbits of the smaller pieces will decay within hours. The bigger chunks will de-orbit in a few days or weeks.

India did this test far more responsibly than China's 2007 test, most likely because of the worldwide condemnation of China's behavior.

Re:Space Debris

[tomhath]

They tried to boost it into a permanent orbit. But the rocket blew up, so they changed the story to claim they destroyed it intentionally.

Re:Space Debris

[jdastrup]

They should be using something that could actually modify the orbit of the satellite either forcing it outside of earths gravity on a trajectory for the sun.

Actually, launching anything into the sun is extremely difficult. It takes speeds of at least 65K mph to counteract Earth's orbit in order to hit the sun and not just end up in an elliptical orbit. It's easier to send something outside of the solar system at just 25K mph.

Re:Space Debris

[Dutch Gun]

I guess not bothering to read the article is something of a tradition here, but this point is addressed. From TFA:

The three-minute test in the lower atmosphere ensured there was no debris in space and the remnants would “decay and fall back on to the earth within weeks”, the ministry added.

So, no space debris, unlike China's test, which was at a much higher orbit, and caused a huge cloud of debris that will last anywhere from decades to centuries.

Re:Space Debris

[White Yeti]

I agree that the short-term collision risk is low and the long-term risk negligible. Even so, there are about 600 objects in or passing through those low altitudes (~100-350 km): about 100 payloads (working or not), 280 spent rocket bodies, 280 other debris. The rocket bodies are relatively large targets, with the highest potential to generate more debris from collisions.

Ah, geopolitics:

Time was running out for India to declare itself as an ASAT power to join the US, Russia and China. The United Nations Conference on Disarmament is discussing a new treaty banning militarisation of space. Once the treaty is done and had India not carried out the ASAT test it would put New Delhi at a serious disadvantage, as it would then only be able to negotiate on such a new treaty as an “outsider” rather than an “insider” with ASAT capability.

Re:Space Debris

[skaralic]

I guess not bothering to read the article is something of a tradition here, but this point is addressed. From TFA:

The three-minute test in the lower atmosphere ensured there was no debris in space and the remnants would “decay and fall back on to the earth within weeks”, the ministry added.

So, no space debris, unlike China's test, which was at a much higher orbit, and caused a huge cloud of debris that will last anywhere from decades to centuries.

I only read the first line of your comment but I want to know - what about all the space debris they created?!

Re:Jerks

[bobbied]

It was only in LEO - this stuff will de-orbit pretty quickly. In a couple of weeks to months, it will all be gone. Unlike the results of the China test or all the stuff we have parked in geosynchronous orbit, which won't deorbit before the sun expands and swallows us...

So 2000s

[the_skywise]

It's impressive but from an actual strategic standpoint it may already be out of date.
Russia has already moved to hypersonic cruise missiles that don't have to go into space to deliver their payload.
You don't need spy satellites anymore when you can have smaller, faster, lighter, remote drones fly into a nation to do photographs.
Satellites are still necessary to national infrastructures so space weapons are still useful but it's no longer a panacea to a nation's security, let alone defense.