Threats to Space Assets and India's Options -IDSA

ejazr

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Threats to Space Assets and India's Options | Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses

Space assets are vulnerable to a variety of threats that include jamming of communications, command and control systems/links, physical attacks on satellites and ground stations, dazzling or blinding of satellite sensors; high-altitude nuclear detonations (HAND). Though in the past space has been used to support military operations, it has remained a conflict -free zone, and this may hold true in the future also. Space is a global common. Despite this some nations are developing a wide spectrum of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon capabilities. The main driver for this is either their quest for space control or probably they are made to believe that air and space are analogous. For India, cheaper and softer options, like development of electronic warfare and cybernetic attack capabilities, will yield better results than blindly following costly propositions that vitiate the space environment.

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Threats to Space Assets and India's Options | Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
 

Virendra

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DRDO and ISRO do collaborate on joint projects to address and prepare for such eventualities. The threats are of space driven spying currently and it will take time before they evolve into that of space wars.

The capabilities of some of the currently active satellites like RISAT are compatible to look after few of the military demands as well and have done so in the past. ISRO had also provided US with some scans during initial days of Afghan war.
Although ISRO publicly refutes possession of active dedicated spy satellites, they have worked with Israel to launch their spy satellite "TechSar/Polaris" and then ISRO's satellite-based surveillance and reconnaissance (SBS) programme culminated into CARTOSAT2 - the first dedicated military satellite.

Further there is Communication-Centric Intelligence Satellite (CCI-Sat), Navy Satellite (GSAT-7) and IAF Satellite (GSAT-7A) planned for launch one after the other.
Indian Military Satellite Program - Indian Defense Projects Sentinel

Space based spying capabilities are indeed revealing and provide a lot of edge over the rivals..
Excerpt from http://www.cdi.org/PDFs/scenarios.pdf:
Space-based capabilities would provide India with a real advantage over Pakistan. When the U.S.-based Federation of American Scientists (FAS) purchased one-meter resolution images from a commercial satellite company, FAS analysts expressed surprise at the amount of detail available about the Pakistani nuclear force. Looking at one image, an FAS analyst said the image "shows the Pakistanis have all their eggs in one basket. These Pakistani missiles are vulnerable to an Indian first strike."
India presently is not a threatening space power and till recently didn't even intend to posture any military/spy elements in its space operations.
Indian space philosophy has civil roots and military angles that have started to appear are expected to bear the mark of traditional democratic inhibitions that constrain India from being too aggressive in all realms - be it space or otherwise.
But the increasing militarization of space by rivals such as China have prompted the government and the agencies to take stock and evolve the policy accordingly. Now more than ever, India needs very sharp watchful eyes to survey, predict and spot any rash Chinese movements.
In the age of cybernetics and space integrated wars, victor would be the one who had the best reflexes during first stage of the war (whether for defensive posturing or taking the fight to enemy's camp).
Space capabilities would improve those reflexes.

Pursuant to that goal, an ASAT (Anti Satellite) development program of ISRO is underway wherein laser weapons would be used to neutralize satellites in space. India has already researched on space-based lasers, as well as a "kinetic attack loitering interceptor" KALI which produces an EM electron injector ray to destroy missiles/planes/satellites etc.

Three years late to Chinese ASAT, India seemed finally woke up when in January 2010, DRDO Director-General and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, Dr VK Saraswat stated
"India is putting together building blocks of technology that could be used to neutralize enemy satellites". He also conceded that "these are deterrence technologies and quite certainly many of these technologies will not be used."
On February 10, 2010 Dr Saraswat stated that India had
"all the building blocks necessary" to integrate an anti-satellite weapon to neutralize hostile satellites in low earth and polar orbits.He said that the propulsion module and kill vehicle already existed in principle on the Agni (missile) series of ballistic missiles, but that India did not have a formal anti-satellite weapon project as yet. He indicated, however, that the anti-satellite weapons could be developed as part of the Indian Ballistic Missile Defense Program, which will complete the development stage in totality by 2014.[14] India had identified development of ASAT weapons "for electronic or physical destruction of satellites in both LEO (2,000-km altitude above earth's surface) and the higher GEO-synchronous orbits" as a thrust area in its long-term integrated perspective plan (2012–2027).
Saraswat claimed,
"Our country does not have a policy to attack anybody in space. We don't believe in it. But as part of the Ballistic Missile Defense Program, we have all the technology elements required to integrate a system through which we can defend our satellites or take care of future requirements."
What is messy about ASAT is that one satellite being blasted would send hundreds if not thousands of debris flying in the space and other (countries) satellites would be at immediate risk. This could easily escalate beyond control due to miscalculation. For example the Chinese ASAT test of 2007 had also left many debris in space and probably an Indian followup in future wouldn't be too different in that regard.
Even then it is going to take many years before the tall Indian aims are achieved stepwise, from tiny budget initiatives to full blown functioning program and products. Surely not the Chinese way I'd say but we'll reach there. Deterrence is what is required most urgently and it will be attained.
Question isn't "If", the question is "When".

Regards,
Virendra
 
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pankaj nema

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We need a strong deterrent capability that is the most important thing in this field

If China hits our assets we must be able to return the favour
 

Virendra

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And the Chinese have a lot of juicy targets as India has already invested so much in Space assets and the programs producing them.
There is no excuse not to attain space deterrence.
 

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