China test fires anti Satellite missile, India yet to Develop

China test fires anti Satellite missile, India yet to Develop

The Long March 11 Rocket with Dong Neng Kill Vehicle

   China successfully carried out another anti satellite missile test on Oct 30, and they officially acknowledged about the tests only after some days when US publishes about the Chinese missile launch. Two independent Chinese officials from Military and space program confirm the test and said it's a anti ballistic missile to counter enemy ballistic missiles not a anti satellite system. Sources say the missile did reached at the altitude of some 18,000 miles from earth, where most of the Navigational and intelligence satellites orbiting.

    China said it's a new system to evaluate the mid course interception of ballistic missile, similarly  to the American THAAD missile defense system. China did have two Anti satellite missile's SC 19 and DN 3, First one is used for destroying sub orbiting small SAR satellites, and the DN 3 used for destroying spy satellites and Navigational satellites in high orbit. The SC 19 already operational while DN 3 become operational before 2020. China conducting more tests to evaluate the operational capability of the missile.

     China actively interested in space based warfare, where both Russians and Americans agreed to limit their development in ASAT Technology. China testing anti satellite missile from 2007, in the first test they successfully destroyed a sub orbiting weather satellite. The test actually shocked the US and the Russians, The destruction caused severe problems to other satellite's orbiting at the same altitude. US Russia and many nations concerned about the debris of the satellites which poses threat to manned International Space station.

    China conducted more tests later years, So far China successfully conducted six anti satellite missiles, which is the known number in public medium, US is the only nation who has many systems to track each and every ballistic missiles conducted by any nation in the world. China conducted last test from Korla missile test complex in west China close to Mongolia.

     India operates long range tracking Radar which can track ballistic missile as far as some 2000 Kilo meters, However China conducted this test far from that range. Also it's hard to detect a anti satellite missile, because it hits the target at the space not in the land. The recent test shows Chinese capability of striking satellites anywhere in the orbit. which means during any war escalation against China, they will target Indian military satellites first to blind Indian defense assets.

DF 21 A Ballistic missile modified into SC 19 for ASAT missions

    Wikileaks once quoted that US, India and some other Asian nations issued protests to Chinese Anti satellite test when they conducted a successful anti satellite missile test in January 2010. The missile tests conducted using the SC 19 Space Rocket who carries the hit to kill vehicle to destroy sub orbiting satellite targets. Even after, China conducted more than four successful tests.

     India on other side yet to test fire a ASAT missile, It's reported by DRDO's director general VK Saraswat during an seminar in IIT Bombay, that India developing a atmospheric kill vehicle which will be used in modified Agni missiles to act as a sub orbital Anti satellite missile. So far there is no clear progress in the missile program.

    The Agni missiles has don't have enough range to fly much height to meet the Satellites, where most of the satellites placed well above than 10,000 kilometers from earth. While Agni missiles can go as much as height of some 1000 kilometers only, It's reported that modified Agni variant of ASAT missile can go over 3000 kilometers to perform sub orbit SAR satellite destruction missions.

    However this will not makes sense, while most of the Chinese Navigational Satellites like Beidou and other military and spy satellites fly well above than 15,000 miles above the earth's atmosphere, If India tries to shoot down any Chinese sub orbiting commercial satellites, then China will brings down entire Indian Satellites orbiting in the space.

    For the above some reasons, India must project their ambition to develop a real anti satellite missile rather than named ASAT missile. While the five nation council in UN, Seriously discussing about banning anti satellite missile test and Hyper sonic missile test, once they matured in these kind of advanced technologies. So India must accelerate those Hyper sonic and Anti satellite project before the International ban applied on those kind of tests.