India and Space Force: News & Discussion

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SSridhar
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India and Space Force: News & Discussion

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News & Discussion on India and Space Force.
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India and Space Force: News & Discussion

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India needs to develop both offensive and defensive space capabilities: IAF chief - ToI
India needs to develop “both offensive and defensive space capabilities to safeguard our assets”, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said on Tuesday, in the backdrop of China furiously building and deploying anti-satellite weapons from direct ascent missiles and co-orbital killers to directed-energy laser weapons and electronic jammers.

“The race to weaponize space has already started and the day is not far when our next war would spread across all domains of land, sea, air, cyber and space. We need to capitalize on our initial successes in space and prepare ourselves for the future,” the IAF chief said.

India did successfully test an anti-satellite (A-Sat) interceptor missile to destroy the 740-kg Microsat-R satellite, at an altitude of 283-km in the low earth orbit (LEO), under “Mission Shakti” in March 2019.

After the creation of a small tri-service Defence Space Agency (DSA) the same year, instead of a full-fledged Space Command that the armed forces were demanding, India has also been taking some initial steps to develop other counter-space capabilities as well as the ability to protect its own satellites from electronic or physical attacks.

But the huge strides made by China have even the US worried, with the final frontier of space becoming increasingly contested as well as congested. Half of the around 700 operational satellites of China, for instance, are that of its People’s Liberation Army.

In contrast, while India does have several dual-use civilian satellites, the IAF and Navy has only one dedicated military satellite each as of now. The Army’s first dedicated satellite GSAT-7B will be launched for Rs 4,635 crore towards end-2025.

Speaking at a seminar, ACM Chaudhari said defence minister Rajnath Singh has “categorically stated” it was now time for the IAF to become an “aerospace force” and be ready to protect the country from the “ever-evolving threats”.

With “on-demand launch” of satellites and spacecraft becoming the new normal, and growing exploitation of it by private and military stakeholders, space has definitely become the “ultimate high ground”, the IAF chief said.

“The Indian aerospace industry along with other players like ISRO and the DSA need to collaborate and chalk out the path for the future. We have already demonstrated our nano-satellite technology by deploying 104 satellites using PSLV-C37 last year,” he said.

ACM Chaudhari said the Indian defence industries also “need to further the development” of directed energy weapons (DEWs), especially lasers, and hypersonic weapons and also integrate them onto airborne platforms to get desired ranges and accuracy. Such weapons provide significant advantages over traditional ones in terms of precision engagement, low-cost per shot, logistical benefits and low detectability, he said.

India should also be looking at “adopting, absorbing and more importantly indigenously-developing” advanced technologies in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones. “The use of such evolving technology in terms of swarms etc. in the military context will lead to a much higher demand of UAVs and UCAVs (combat UAVs) in the future,” the IAF chief said.

“Research is already progressing in drone-related technologies, including Quantum drones (QD). Quantum computing itself has the ability to impact the aerospace ecosystem in enabling efficient and accurate simulation, optimization of complex systems and improved data processing capabilities,” he said.

“Development of UAV technology within the quantum realm shall enhance concepts like Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) to much higher levels offering a new level of interoperability which could make a huge difference in the wars of tomorrow,” he added.
Prem Kumar
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by Prem Kumar »

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/ ... a-Contract

US National Reconnaissance Office gave a contract to India's startup Pixxel for their world-leading hyperspectral imaging. Startup incubated at IITM Research Park

For a moment, I thought the contract was with our NTRO. Hope that follows soon!
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

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Indian ASAT: Mission Shakti should be a comma, not a full stop - Ajay Lele, The Space Review
On March 27, 2019, India tested an anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) during an operation codenamed Mission Shakti. Now four years have passed since India emerged as the fourth state in the world to achieve such capabilities after the US, Russia, and China. This could be an opportune time to do some kind of audit about India’s effort towards evolving a space deterrence mechanism. On the face of it, no significant activity has been observed by India to take any next steps towards developing an effective space deterrence mechanism since the test. Here, it is important to give some margin to the scientific community and policymakers since not only India but the entire world had faced unforeseen challenges owing to Covid-19 crisis, which ended up delaying various programs, including in India.

To recap Mission Shakti: it was a successful ASAT test conducted by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) exactly four years ago. Microsat-R, an experimental imaging satellite manufactured by DRDO, was launched on January 24, 2019. This satellite was eventually used by DRDO as a target satellite. It was a direct ascent, kinetic kill weapon test and DRDO used a modified anti-ballistic missile interceptor. The satellite was shot at a lower altitude of 283 kilometers to ensure that there would not be any long-term debris menace; within a short time, the generated debris would enter the Earth’s atmosphere. After the test, there was some blame-gaming and India was accused of creating some debris, which could even be detrimental to the health of International Space Station (ISS). Different sources had claimed different figures regarding the amount of debris remaining in the low Earth orbit (LEO) region. Six months after the test, some 50 tracked pieces of debris remained, which reentered in about 12 months.

It could be said that India’s political objectives, both signaling to adversaries and increasing its relevance on the global stage in the space domain, were achieved. In any global debate towards establishing a rule-based architecture for ensuring space security, India now becomes an important cog. Also, possibly, India should be able to disallow materializing of any lopsided treaty mechanism, like the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), in the space domain. Diplomatically, India handled the aftershocks of this test admirably and was able to explain (and convince) many in the world, the rationale behind this test.

Was this only a one-off test for India or there is something more to India’s deterrence mechanism? According to some reports, this idea to conduct an ASAT test was approved in 2016 and became a reality three years later. There is a possibility that there could be some other ideas in making, too. At present, some crystal ball-gazing in this regard is possible, based on available open-source information. However, rather than getting into the zone of speculation, it could be prudent to carry out an assessment based on scientific, strategic, and policy underpinnings.

It may sound hypocritical, but it is a reality that India is against the weaponization of space. But since India needs to ensure that its political borders remain safe, it had no option but to develop a space deterrence mechanism, owing to increasing strategic challenges. India is walking on thin ice by ensuring that its efforts to develop deterrence are not mistaken as efforts towards weaponization of space.

Immediately after the test, DRDO indicated that they were working on programs involving directed energy weapons, electromagnetic pulse (EMP), and co-orbital weapons for ASAT roles. It was claimed that DRDO has a capability to neutralize any object up to around 1,000 kilometers altitude in space. However, subsequently, there has not been much talk about any progress made in regards to development of such technologies. It is important to mention that Mission Shakti was a “bolt from the blue” for everyone within India and outside. A great amount of secrecy was maintained about this project. On similar lines, for obvious reasons, there is a possibility that the Indian scientific community is working quietly on various counterspace projects.

DRDO has a Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS), which is working on futuristic weapon systems, mainly high-energy laser systems. They are known to be experimenting with directed energy weapons (DEWs). They are developing high-powered DEWs that can disable enemy missiles or drones. It is not known if India is working towards developing a ground-based DEW system, which can address LEO targets, or if there are plans to develop space-based platforms. Since the mid-1980s, there are some conjectures that DRDO is developing a Kilo Ampere Linear Injector (KALI). This is a linear electron accelerator or a particle accelerator that can emit powerful relativistic electron beams to damage the target’s electronic system. It is perceived that KALI would be a great weapon for destroying aircraft and missiles through soft-kill. It’s not known if there is any possibility of modifying such technology for space use. {China says that it has a space-based relativistic klystron amplifier}

Some four or five years ago, DRDO is known to have established an organization to cater for research and development in the military space arena and currently this agency is expected to be working on various technological options. In general, no specific details are available to understand DRDO’s possible agenda in the domain of counterspace capabilities towards strengthening India’s deterrence.

There are some areas of counterspace technologies that India need not focus on. Kinetic-physical technologies are those mainly intended to create permanent and irreversible destruction of space-based systems or ground systems. India need not undertake any ASAT test in the future by using direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missiles. By undertaking Mission Shakti, India has already made a statement and any more testing (leading to debris generation) is not advisable. Maybe India could undertake a few flyby missions for technology maturation. {This is what China did as soon as XJP took over. In May 2013, it conducted a non-destructive DA-ASAT test targeting a geo comsat. The new missile is DN-2 while the LEO missile was DN-1. Both are variants of DF-21} There is a need for India to focus more on electronic and cyber means. Such technologies could help them creating interference and jamming capabilities.

Mission Shakti was a great beginning. But has India successfully established any space deterrence strategy tailored to recognize the unique characteristics of its strategic compulsions over last four years? The answer is possibly no. For some time now India’s focus has been towards establishing India as a business hub for the space industry. This step was required and a major push in that direction is visible and should be welcomed. On the other hand, what is happening on strategic side? Presumably, DRDO should be developing counterspace technologies and could possibly make them public, when the development reaches the level of testing. The issue is whether the guarded silence is necessary. Is it helping your deterrence posturing?

Deterrence is not only the above technology, but also about perceptions. What are the incremental, visible steps taken by India to build on the success of its 2019 ASAT test? What are the structures made by India to further the cause of space deterrence and are they sufficient? There is a need to have some nationwide debate on these aspects, which perhaps is presently missing.

India has created the Defence Space Agency (DSA) in 2019 and has also conducted its first simulated space warfare exercise. It is assumed that, during last four years, DSA must have been busy in the process of capacity-building. At the end of 2022, India launched the Space Defence Mission, a military space program to develop innovative solutions for the country’s defense forces through industry and startups. Under this program, 75 challenges have been identified for private industry. The industry players are expected to deliver in areas like launch systems, satellite systems, communication and payload systems, ground systems, and software. Nevertheless, all these efforts look to be too little for India to showcase its deterrence capabilities.

India has major concerns about China’s military space agenda. One of the main reasons for India to undertake ASAT test was, obviously, the China threat. The India-China border dispute remains unresolved after seven decades. Fortunately, it remained dormant for many years. However, in 2020 the Galwan Valley Conflict erupted, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. This was the most violent border fight with China since the 1962 India-China war. China is working towards equipping itself to fight any possible war in space. It is not the purpose here to get into the details of China counterspace program. However, it suffices to say that one of the main reasons for the US to establish a separate military vertical and establish the Space Force was the China angle.

It is important for a state like India not to view space deterrence in isolation. Modern-day warfare is multidimensional warfare. India’s both adversaries are nuclear weapon states. China has made major progress in the field of hypersonics, posing direct challenges to the existing missile defense architecture and hence questioning the efficacy of the prevailing nuclear deterrence mechanism. China is making major advancements in various strategic technology domains like robotics, lasers, artificial intelligence, and quantum.

Against this backdrop, is the capacity of space deterrence showcased by India so far enough? From the strategic perspective, India conducting an ASAT test was necessary, but the geostrategic canvas indicates that it is definitely not sufficient.
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by Prem Kumar »

Nice article. The key takeaway is that we need to go beyond prototypes & "capability demonstration" to actual weaponization & mass-deployment.

Sadly, that transition has always been our Achilles heel. We have been talking about BMDs forever and innumerable tests have been performed. But has it been deployed at scale (or at all)? And BMDs are not so hush-hush that we need to keep it a secret. Pretty much all the big powers (US, Russia, China) openly announce their BMD capabilities and their operationalization is no secret. Not the details, of course, but the fact that they are operational.
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by Kersi »

Many years ago the then USSR had a FOBS, Fractional Orbiting Bombardment Systems. This was some sort of a replacement /supplement for the ICBMS, with no restriction on range. I think we are "fairly good" in space technology. Can we development such a system ?
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by Prem Kumar »

That was banned under one of the Cold War treaties because it was too destabilizing for deterrence
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by sanjaykumar »

Did Rwanda sign the treaty? Did India?
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by sanman »

More importantly, did China?
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

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Prem Kumar wrote:That was banned under one of the Cold War treaties because it was too destabilizing for deterrence
The only gold-standard treaty is the Outer Space Treaty (OST) by the UN, signed by all countries in 1967. This treaty expressly prohibits placing WMDs in space or celestial bodies, but it is silent about conventional weapons. It does not specifically ban air-, ground-, or space-based anti-satellite or anti-missile weapons. This is the loophole that everyone has exploited in DA-ASAT weapons. China has created co-orbital weapons, Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs), parasitic microsatellites that can kill enemy space assets through kinetic actions, jammers etc.

Article IV of OST calls for an "undertaking" of states' parties to the treaty, not to place in earth orbit "objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner." Otherwise, it allows weaponization of space.

The 1984 UN Moon Agreement reaffirms and elaborates on many of the provisions of the Outer Space Treaty as applied to the Moon and other celestial bodies, providing that those bodies should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, that their environments should not be disrupted etc. Then, there is “Prevention of an Armed Race in Outer Space (PAROS)” – UNGA Resolution, 1981, 1985, 2014 which have not been accepted by most countries including India. The Russians/Chinese have submitted PPWT and the Americans & allies the Artemis etc. for consideration. But, there is no movement.

When the then USSR developed FOBS (Fractionl Orbit Bombardment System) and indeed was trying MOBS (Multiple Orbit Bombardment System), the US was not particularly concerned about that. The Russians developed this in order to defeat the American early warning radars and the futuristic space-based infrared detection systems. The US said that so long as a WMD was not orbitted, it wasn't much bothered. It also plugged the radar holes in the south of the CONUS which was through which the FOBS/MOBS was likely to attack. The Soviet FOBS/MOBS failed somehow, and was never successful. Until it was revived now by the Chinese with a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) as the RV with the payload. This makes detection very difficult. This is a lethal combination. The trick seems to be to look for any Chinese LEO space object which is suddenly de-orbiting. This calls for extensive Space Situational Awareness (SSA) which the US has, but we lack. ISRO's IS4OM, an SSA and debris management facility, was setup last year.

The Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS), which are being developed by the US, will have wide-field-of-view sensors networked together with optical inter-satellite cross-links to detect and track HGVs.
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by Cyrano »

There are a few more bolts from the blue, they will shine when the time comes. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Very competent, successful and grounded people are in charge of this domain, which neither lacks highest level attention nor funding. Starling usage in Ukra-een hasn't gone unnoticed. We can speculate but there is no need to worry unduly. Thats all I can say on an open forum.
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by Kersi »

sanman wrote:More importantly, did China?
Will China behave as per the treaty even if they have signed it ?
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by Rakesh »

As India Mulls Renaming IAF To 'Air And Space Force,' Tata Forays Into Manufacturing High-Resolution Military Satellites
https://swarajyamag.com/defence/as-indi ... satellites
30 Nov 2023
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by Rakesh »

Space Force: The New Dimension of Armed Forces
https://gunnersshot.com/2023/11/25/spac ... ed-forces/

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Post by Rakesh »

Mission 2032: Transforming the Indian Air Force into the Indian and Air Space Force
https://capsindia.org/mission-2032-tran ... ace-force/
29 Nov 2023
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Post by Rakesh »

"Step In The Right Direction": Former Air Chief On Plan To Rename IAF As Indian Air And Space Force
https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/step ... pace-force
25 Nov 2023
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Re: India and Space Force: News & Discussion

Post by Rakesh »

https://x.com/rajatpTOI/status/1734035800806092924?s=20 ---> IAF pushes for 'space' to be added to its name as part of its ongoing overall drive to transform from “a potent air-power” to “a credible aerospace power”.

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