# India shoots down a weather satellite with anti-satellite missile



## biffzinker (Mar 27, 2019)

Ars Technica said:
			
		

> India announced Wednesday that it successfully fired an anti-satellite weapon and intercepted an unidentified Indian satellite at an altitude of 300km. This test, named “Mission Shakti,” gives India the prestige of becoming only the fourth nation to shoot down a satellite, but it raises serious questions about orbital debris and the on-going militarization of space.
> 
> Modi stressed that the technology used to bring down the missile was entirely developed in India, and he said the test was an important demonstration of the country's prowess in space."India stands tall as a space power!" he wrote. "It will make India stronger, even more secure and will further peace and harmony."
> 
> Whether such an act makes space more secure, however, is another question. Until now only three countries had demonstrated such an offensive capability in space—the United States, Russia, and China.



Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/201...ther-satellite-declares-itself-a-space-power/


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 27, 2019)

Shooting it down? Nah, somebody called an ubereats. They were trying to deliver a hot curry but ended up colliding with it and knocking it out of orbit.


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## biffzinker (Mar 27, 2019)

At least the space debris will only hang around for a month unlike another country that caused debris that will stay in orbit for 100+ years.


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## Caring1 (Mar 28, 2019)

They're not even trying to hide the fact it's an offensive weapon.
They could have said it was for protection from space debris or comets etc.


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## rtwjunkie (Mar 28, 2019)

Caring1 said:


> They're not even trying to hide the fact it's an offensive weapon.
> They could have said it was for protection from space debris or comets etc.


Because it is a status symbol for them.  They were very celebratory that a small club has been joined.


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## arnold_al_qadr (Mar 28, 2019)

so india shoot an indian satellite that unknown to them??

lots of satellite, can't keep track of them all..


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## NdMk2o1o (Mar 28, 2019)

Staying out of this one, was ban hammered for 6 months for saying that India has a greater obligation to it's impoverished peoples rather than concentrating on nuclear arms race in a previous post....


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## R0H1T (Mar 28, 2019)

Yeah if only there wasn't this rogue terrorist nation on the western front, supported by another rogue one on the eastern front. Let's not forget the legacy that was, well by you know who 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/13/usa.pakistan
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/.../india-pakistan-partition-imperial-britain.html


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## Prima.Vera (Mar 28, 2019)

Ok. So India shuts down an _unknown _Indian satellite.
Unknown by government or by local plebe?


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Mar 28, 2019)

Caring1 said:


> They're not even trying to hide the fact it's an offensive weapon.
> They could have said it was for protection from space debris or comets etc.


They're a space power, step back is the message.
Clearly like everyone else they're feeling resurgence in the air  , everyone clearly needs to chill IMHO.


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## EarthDog (Mar 28, 2019)

LOL, I read this as NVIDIA shoots down a weather satellite...........


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## R0H1T (Mar 28, 2019)

You never know, JHH could try to sell that as a *revolutionary feature* of their next gen cards


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## FordGT90Concept (Mar 28, 2019)

A detailed statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that an Indian satellite had been used for the test, but did not specify which satellite it was.

...I think it was a satellite India needed to make disappear (e.g. of the espionage variety).  Relations with Pakistan are very sour right now and that satellite may have implicated India in something they didn't want to be implicated in. So they shot it down with a missile test being the cover story.

Dutch Space Agency thinks it was MICROSAT-R


> Microsat-R (2019-006A), is a 740 kg Indian military satellite launched two months earlier, on 24 January 2019, on PLSV-C44 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) or Sriharikota Range (SHAR), a rocket launch centre operated by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) located in Andhra Pradesh. Microsat-R is an imaging satellite meant for military use for providing high resolution photo of the Earth’s surface.


Yup, probably intended to take pictures of Pakistan.  The orbit it was in was no longer suitable for the intended task.  Repurposed for missile testing.


Most of the missile testing space debris is China's fault. 10 tests, 3028 pieces of debris remain in orbit.  Russia had 28 tests, 356 pieces of debris remain in orbit.  USA had 30 tests, none remains in orbit.


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## xkm1948 (Mar 28, 2019)

Great, more mother fuking space junks to hinder space exploration. I guess it is common pratice when savages first learned how to shoot fuking rocket in the sky now.


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## R0H1T (Mar 28, 2019)

Great, you din't bother to read the article I guess 


> India's test occurred at a lower altitude, some 300km, so its effects may be shorter lived as debris from the test is pulled into Earth's atmosphere. Also, it appears the target was the relatively small Microsat-r satellite, with a mass of about 700kg. *This means there should be less debris*.


From the comments sections at Ars ~
_The following table provides a very rough guide to the lifetime of an object in a circular or near circular orbit at various altitudes._

_*Code:*
Satellite Altitude   Lifetime
200 km                 1 day
300 km                 1 month
400 km                 1 year
500 km                 10 years
700 km                 100 years
900 km                 1000 years_


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## droopyRO (Mar 28, 2019)

xkm1948 said:


> Great, more mother fuking space junks to hinder space exploration. I guess it is common pratice when savages first learned how to shoot fuking rocket in the sky now.


If you send a couple of gypsies in to space with proper space walking suits, they would clean that junk in no time and make a profit.


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## Bones (Mar 28, 2019)

rtwjunkie said:


> Because it is a status symbol for them.  _They were very celebratory that a small club has been joined_.



So they've joined the satellite hunting club - I guess they'll stuff and mount a piece of it over their capital building or something.


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## Fizban (Mar 28, 2019)

R0H1T said:


> Great, you din't bother to read the article I guess
> 
> From the comments sections at Ars ~
> _The following table provides a very rough guide to the lifetime of an object in a circular or near circular orbit at various altitudes._
> ...



It's still more space debris than not shooting it period. Not really sure what you're trying to get at by insinuating someone didn't read the article if they think this leads to more space debris.


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## R0H1T (Mar 28, 2019)

First of all shooting down a satellite for the intent of destroying it will take the same route, you don't destroy these things completely even if you're trying to get rid of space junk! The chart shows the time it takes for normal space debris to clear out in the atmosphere, at various altitudes. Secondly, this was a first for India & given the microsat probably worth a try. The only thing questionable was timing i.e. just before the elections. Would you for instance criticize a failed rocket launch from a fledgling space program, just because someone (else) did it first or worse?


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## Fizban (Mar 29, 2019)

A failed rocket launch has literally nothing in common with intentional destruction of a satellite for no clear purpose.

They either wanted that satellite destroyed because it contained data they were afraid of falling into the wrong hands, or it was a massive waste of money for the sake of propaganda. The former suggests the Indian Government is sticking its nose where it knows it shouldn't be. The latter is just a massive waste of Indian taxpayer money. Neither scenario strikes me as something that is good for anyone aside from the Indian government.


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## remixedcat (Mar 30, 2019)

EarthDog said:


> LOL, I read this as NVIDIA shoots down a weather satellite...........


are they triggered by storms?


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## R0H1T (Mar 30, 2019)

What do you mean no clear purpose? There's couple of reasons - elections, also a deterrent to Pak & China. If you want a background on the latter how about you go study the history of South Asia, recent events in Kashmir & *Pak's acquisition of nuclear arms*, besides the empire? If not maybe stop commenting on things which you know virtually nothing about! As for data falling into wrong hands - genuinely curious how do you suppose that'll happen? While I have no doubt the PR stunt was avoidable, the arms race in South Asia isn't just our doing!


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## sepheronx (Mar 30, 2019)

R0H1T said:


> Yeah if only there wasn't this rogue terrorist nation on the western front, supported by another rogue one on the eastern front. Let's not forget the legacy that was, well by you know who
> 
> https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/13/usa.pakistan
> https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/.../india-pakistan-partition-imperial-britain.html



That is the problem.  A lot of people have zero idea what a real threat Pakistan and China are to India.  I dont disagree with this move of India because they need this weapon in order to deal with any potential radar or optical based satellites that are used continuously for Pakistan's and China's ambitions in providing terrorist support within India.

The missile used is a Agni-5 ICBM booster with a kintetic warhead.  While it may sound crude, its actually rather very impressive imo and while some complain about India having to provide for its people, it also has to provide security for its people and its country.  India is surrounded by rather hostile nations, two of which are nuclear powers and one being somewhat of a host to Chinese navy (Sri Lanka).  And when you have a nation of 1.25B people, its rather hard to provide for everyone, especially the poor.

The US has a lot of poor, and it sure doesn't have 1.25B people.


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## Caring1 (Mar 30, 2019)

This isn't a political thread, save it for PM.


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## FordGT90Concept (Mar 30, 2019)

It's not a political thread but the motivation behind the missile demonstration was likely political. 32 articles in the last week...

Some highlights...

February 28, 2019: Pakistan envoy calls on U.S. to play greater role in India-Pakistan tensions

March 23, 2019: Pakistan call for peace with India as it shows off its military might

This conflict is rooted in England splitting India and Pakistan on religious boundaries in 1947...
March 25, 2019: India, Pakistan spar over alleged religious conversion of Hindu girls

...only providing this information for context, not discussion.  India's action here was not entirely surprising given the recent events of the region.


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## Ferrum Master (Mar 30, 2019)

WTF.

China did that. The orbit become polluted with thousands of tiny particles from it and causes havok for any satelites and ISS.

Now India? How about aiming the missle to the dork who got the idea in the first place.


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## FordGT90Concept (Mar 30, 2019)

The orbit of the satellite they intercepted was extremely shallow.  The debris from it should be reentered in no more than a year or two.


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## Ferrum Master (Mar 30, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> The orbit of the satellite they intercepted was extremely shallow.  The debris from it should be reentered in no more than a year or two.



The kinetic energy is enough to shoot some into higher orbit.


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## SoNic67 (Apr 2, 2019)

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-...nti-satellite-test-a-threat-to-iss-nasa-says/


> Speaking at a live-streamed event on Monday, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine described India’s anti-satellite missile test on March 27 as “not compatible with the future of human spaceflight,” adding, “It’s unacceptable and NASA needs to be very clear about what its impact to us is.
> ...speaking on Monday, Bridenstine said NASA had identified 400 pieces of orbital debris from the test, with at least 24 of them — each one larger than 10 cm — having gone above the apogee of the ISS, something he described as “a terrible, terrible thing” and which put the safety of the ISS at risk.



This is what NASA says about this event.



FordGT90Concept said:


> This conflict is rooted in England splitting India and Pakistan on religious boundaries in 1947...


Actually the root is in one specific religion that invaded that region in year 711. Don't blame the English for that, a religions war was already in effect.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Hindus#During_Islamic_rule_of_the_Indian_sub-continent


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## Vayra86 (Apr 2, 2019)

I'm under the impression this is mostly proof of concept and prestige motivated. Its India saying 'look we can do things in space'.

Very bad IMO.


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## FordGT90Concept (Apr 2, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-...nti-satellite-test-a-threat-to-iss-nasa-says/


Much less than China's test but still...more debris = bad.


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## biffzinker (Apr 3, 2019)

> Analytical Graphics has posted a video showing a simulated breakup of Microsat-R based on initial data from US Strategic Command. The model shows a tail of debris pushed into an orbit with a higher apogee, while other debris scatters at lower velocity in a lower, more quickly decaying orbit. Most of the debris field should re-enter the atmosphere within a month, but some may remain a hazard for years to come.










https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...ger-to-international-space-station-nasa-says/


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