Full form of ASAT
Anti-Satellite Weapon is the full form of ASAT. It is a space weapon used to destroy satellites for strategic military purposes. Countries develop them in response to growing threats from other countries that oppose their political, social, and economic policies. ASAT serves various purposes, such as spying, gaining control, and destroying enemy weapons. The United States, Russia, China, and India are the only countries that have successfully demonstrated ASAT capabilities.
History of ASAT
In the early 1950s, Preliminary research began and was followed by the launch of several ground-based missiles into space for final testing. In times of instability and war, the United States was the first to think of it. The American ASM-135 ASAT rocket was the first rocket launched into space. This was the beginning of similar projects that prompted other war-torn countries to follow suit. As technology advances, the system has been modified to match the greater potential to meet today's requirements.
Function of ASAT
ASAT is a key counterforce against enemy anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defenses, an irregular counter to a high-tech adversary, which is a nuclear first strike, and a countermeasure weapon. ASATs produce space debris that can collide with other satellites, resulting in even more debris, causing Earth to experience Kessler syndrome.
Roles of ASAT
- It can also be deployed as a defensive weapon system against space-based nuclear weapons.
- It can be used as a countermeasure against ABM (Anti Ballistic Missiles).
- It can be used as an interceptor and jammer for satellite communications of other countries.
- It can be used as a laser weapon and an electromagnetic pulse EMP blast device.
India’s ASAT Developments
- On 27 March 2019, India successfully test-fired an anti-satellite weapon under the operation code Mission Shakti. It was a joint program of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization).
- It involved hitting a satellite in low Earth orbit with a kinetic killer vehicle to successfully demonstrate India's ability to successfully destroy ABMs (Anti Ballistic Missiles).
- The interceptor or ASAT system used in the test was a ballistic missile defense interceptor named Prithvi Defense Vehicle Mark II.
- The interceptor missile used in the test had a kinetic vehicle capable of hitting and killing. It was 13 m long and measured 1.4 m. It was equipped with two powerful rocket fuel stages and a Kill vehicle as a three-stage rocket. The consolidated load of the first and subsequent stages is 17.2 tons; the third stage weighs 1.8 tons. The initial two stages can carry 16.7 huge amounts of fuel.
- The Kill Vehicle included a third-stage interceptor missile. It had a guidance system, including a gimballed imaging infrared seeker and an inertial tracking system that used a ring laser gyroscope to identify and track the Microsat-R satellite in low Earth orbit.
Drawbacks of ASATs
While it has been suggested that jamming another country's satellites in a conflict, such as between China and the United States, could seriously disrupt United States military operations, the ease with which satellites can be shot down in orbit and their effect on operations have been contested.
Although satellites have been successfully detected at low orbital altitudes, shielding tactics such as angle changes can make long-term tracking of military satellites difficult. The interceptor would have to decide the point of impact while adjusting for the lateral movement of the satellite and the time it takes for the warhead to climb and move, depending on the level of tracking capabilities.
GPS and communications satellites orbit at higher altitudes than powerful global ballistic missiles, at 20,000 km and 36,000 km, respectively. Liquid-fueled space launch vehicles could reach these altitudes, but they could take longer to launch and be aimed at the ground before launching multiple times in a row.