ASAT – Mission Shakti

Background

Recently PM had announced that India had carried out a successful anti-satellite missile test (ASAT), Mission Shakti.
ASAT is the technological capability to hit and destroy satellites in space through missiles launched from the ground. The first anti-satellite test (ASAT) was carried out by the US military way back in 1959. The then Soviet Union followed a year later. Thereafter, the two countries carried out a series of such tests up till early 1980s. After that there was a lull, broken only by the Chinese test in 2007. India became only the fourth country to carry out an anti-satellite missile test. Other countries which could have the capability, like Israel, have not shown an intention to test.

What is Mission Shakti?

  • There are a large number of satellites currently in space, many of which have outlived their utility and orbiting aimlessly.
  • One such satellite was chosen for India’s present test.
  • A missile was launched from the Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex near Balasore in Odisha.
  • It struck a predetermined target which was a redundant Indian satellite that was orbiting at a distance of 300 km from the Earth’s surface.
  • As per official sources, the satellite that had been knocked out was Microsat R, a micro-satellite launched by ISRO in January, 2019.

Location: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

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