Need defensive & offensive space capabilities, says CDS

NEW DELHI: India must build both defensive and offensive capabilities in space domain, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Tuesday, while stressing the need for “dual-use platforms” with a special focus on incorporating cutting-edge technologies.

“Space is a domain which is enhancing capabilities of other domains of land, sea, air and even cyber. The military application of space is the dominant discourse from which we cannot remain divorced,” the CDS said, while flagging the possibility of war in space with its increasing militarisation and countries like China conducting anti-satellite (A-Sat) tests.

Inaugurating a symposium by the Indian Space Association , Gen Chauhansaid the country must expand its NavIC (Indian regional navigation satellite system) constellation, provide agile space-based ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), and ensure secure satellite-assisted communications.

“We also need to explore the field of miniaturisation of satellites and reusable launch platforms to mitigate cost, challenges and accelerate the pace of augmenting our space-based capabilities,” he said.

“The populating of space domain and the emergence of a dynamic threat environment to our space assets also demands that we enhance our space situational awareness capability. There’s also a requirement to safeguard our assets with counterspace capabilities,” he added.

DRDO chairman Dr Samir V Kamat, in turn, said his organisation has increased its focus on spacebased surveillance, space situational awareness, and protecting the country’s space-based assets. “We are looking at working closely with industry as well as academia right from development stage,” he said. DRDO had tested 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 March2019.