It's time to talk about irresponsible anti-satellite testing of India

Other governments reacted little to India's anti-satellite test last month. (credit: DRDO)

by Jessica West
Monday, April 15, 2019

India has used its advanced ballistic missile defense capability to perform a kinetic anti-satellite test ("Mission Shakti") against one of its own satellites on March 27. India has become the fourth state, after the United States, Russia and China. demonstrate an ASAT ability and only the third to perform a direct interception of an object in the space.

The details of the event are still not revealed, but it was reported that a BMD missile interceptor developed by the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization had been launched at from the launch complex of Abdul Kalam Island. He then intercepted an Indian satellite, Microsat-R, at an altitude of about 300 kilometers. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said: "The trial paid off and reached all the parameters, as expected". According to the Indian government, the test makes India a "space power".

But India was already a growing space power. This test was just imprudent. India's regional rivalry with China, which is itself a space power, is one of the main drivers of its actions – a situation that is also suitable for national audiences. But the consequences are global.

The first concern that immediately comes to mind is the production of space debris, which is a danger to all other spacecraft near the strike. India claims to have taken a responsible approach to debris production. Since the strike was at a relatively low altitude of 300 km, almost all of the resulting debris would return to Earth's atmosphere within a few weeks.

Although this result is better than the massive cloud created by China in 2007 – which continues to pose a threat in space – it is by no means satisfactory. We do not yet know exactly how much debris was produced or how much it will be distributed. However, even for short periods, some debris is a threat, especially for the International Space Station.

In addition, this test allows to lift the taboo on the kinetic interceptions existing since the Chinese and American demonstrations more than ten years ago. India could have, by other means, demonstrated such feats of arms without creating debris. China, for example, is known to have conducted a number of overflight tests in recent years. Although less spectacular than blowing up a satellite from the sky, such tests are certainly safer. But even then, these protests remain aggressive.

The fallout from the Indian ASAT is more than just debris. India's test adds fuel to what is already an arms race in space and exacerbates rising military tensions. Although India claims that the test was done to protect its assets in space, ASAT weapons are inherently offensive. The feeling of aggression is reinforced by the fact that the trial was conducted without any warning to the international community.

Such destructive capacity does little to strengthen national security in outer space. Instead, the best way to preserve a global community with a fragile natural and strategic environment is to support common security through rules and restrictions on weapons and dangerous behavior.

Seen in this light, India's test was also unethical at the diplomatic level. A group of government experts representing more than 25 States recently concluded discussions in Geneva on ways to advance further measures to prevent an arms race and armed conflict in outer space (PAROS). Until now, this challenge of more than three decades has become elusive. India is participating in this discussion and supports its support for efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space and the peaceful uses of outer space. However, its actions can only fuel the resolve of those who would resist new arms control measures and encourage proliferation.

India has a long and remarkable history in the space. Established in 1969, the Indian Space Research Organization is one of the oldest civilian space agencies in the world. India launched its own satellite in 1980. The first Indian astronaut embarked on a Soviet space station in 1984. In 2008, India became one of the few countries to place a spacecraft in orbit around the moon. . year. And India continues its ambitious program of space exploration and human spaceflight. He pioneered low-cost innovations in the launcher industry and launched commercial satellites and foreign governments for customers around the world.

In all respects, India has grown steadily as a space power. The assertion that it takes an arms test to establish such status is dangerous. And just like the pursuit of nuclear weapons, he encourages others to do the same, to be part of this "elite club". Indeed, such a path to "power" is legitimized by muted international reactions.

Some voices rise within the industry and civil society. Planet, a global imaging company of Earth, has condemned the test as a threat to the stability of the space environment. Members of the Secure World Foundation and the Union of Concerned Scientists have expressed concern about the dynamics of the arms race and the devastating potential for conflict in space. But beyond rumors about the dangers of debris, the international community of states has remained silent.

Such silence leaves us all less safe.

Jessica West is a senior researcher at Project Plowshares, a Canadian research organization on peace and disarmament. She is the editor-in-chief of the international Space Security Index project as part of a broader research and policy focus on technology, security and governance. A version of this essay was originally published by SpaceQ.

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