The emergence of the 4th Space Super Power in the World: India

The emergence of the 4th Space Super Power in the World: India
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On the 27th of March, 2019, Wednesday, Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi declared in his speech that India has officially become one of the space superpowers in the world. This amazing feat was achieved after a successful mission called the ‘Mission Shakti’ was launched. An anti-satellite (ASAT) successfully managed to take down and destroy a live satellite which was at a lower earth orbit. Moreover, this mission was completed just within a span of 3 minutes. The satellite was reportedly about 300 kilometers away in space.

The mission was actually quite a complicated one to accomplish, but India managed to achieve it quite successfully, marking another grand achievement in the pages of its history. It surely is a prideful thing to achieve for the nation. This kind of great achievement has only been accomplished by the USA, China, and Russia earlier. India now joins the list as the 4th country to do so. This great feat of achievement proves the amazing technical capabilities and advancements that India actually has to offer.

This successful mission has, thus, also increased the overall value of India as a country.

Past Scenario of Indian Space Programs

Below is a compiled list of ISRO and DRDO’s past achievements and missions launched:

  • Mangalyaan Mission of ISRO: This mission is also known as the Mars Orbiter Mission. It was launched by ISRO in the year 2013. As the name suggests, this mission was launched so as to reach Mars. This mission proved to be successful, making India one of the four countries in the whole world to be able to reach the aforementioned planet. Moreover, the mission was successfully accomplished in the first attempt itself.
  • Custom 2 (DRDO): Rustom 2 is the first ever indigenously tested heavy duty drone. This was developed in the year 2016 by DRDO. The drone was tested successfully. The aim to develop this was to help stop the import of drones from other countries like the USA and Israel, and instead, have our own indigenously developed and tested drones.
  • GSLV MkIII-D1 (ISRO): This is the heaviest rocket that has been made by India. It is the first ever rocket developed by India which is fully functional to get tested with the cryogenic engine and also liquid propellers. It was launched in the year 2014 by ISRO.
  • 104 Satellites Launched by ISRO: ISRO, in the year 2017, launched 104 satellites at once, that is, in a single mission. It is quite a prideful feat for ISRO to achieve this. Prior to this achievement made by ISRO, the Russian Agency of Space held the record of launching the most number of satellites in a single mission. The Russian Space Agency had launched 34 satellites in one go. India, thus, made history by surpassing the record which was previously held by Russia.
  • Self-Ejectable Black-box (DRDO): This ‘self-ejectable' black-box was created by DRDO for the purpose of making it easier for rescuers to spot the debris in case a plane crashes into the water. This can also be used in submarines.
  • Mantra (DRDO): This was developed in the year 2017. It has three different kinds of variations. It is India's first ever unmanned tank. This tank was developed to carry out unmanned missions. In case an area has the risk of being polluted with nuclear radiation or another form of bioweapon risk. It is also used for the purpose of detecting mines.
  • IRNSS by ISRO: This was launched by ISRO so as to create separate navigation specifically for India. It was successful, giving India its own navigation system called ‘NavIC’. India is, thus, one of the only nine countries in the world to do so. It is reportedly even more accurate than your average GPS.

Mission Shakti

Mission Shakti is a joint mission between the two Indian Space Programs; The DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization) and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). In this mission, an anti-satellite (ASAT) was launched. This anti-satellite successfully targeted and destroyed a live satellite which was at the Lower Earth Orbit. Mission Shakti was launched from DRDO Test Range which is located in Odisha.

The successful accomplishment of this mission made India the 4th country in the whole wide world to achieve a feat of this kind. The mission was reportedly quite a difficult and a complicated one to accomplish. But, nevertheless, India proved its power and capabilities. The value of India as a nation has increased by a lot. Moreover, the entire mission and its operations and launching, all of it were completely indigenous. This makes it more prideful for the citizens of India.

As mentioned above, the mission was accomplished in a matter of just 3 minutes, meanwhile, the live satellite which was targeted and destroyed, was about 300 kilometers away in space. This proved that India is a country with advanced and specialized technical capabilities.

To make sure that there was no space debris, the mission was done in low temperature. Whatever little bit of debris that might have been exuded or generated would, rest assured, fall back into Earth. This proves that this mission is also not at all harmful for space.

Conclusion

India has, thus, indeed made itself the 4th Space Super Power in the world, which is, needless to say, a super amazing achievement for the country as a whole. The Mission Shakti was a mission involving some of the most brilliant minds in India; this great mission would never have been accomplished if not for the efforts and contributions of the people behind it. Their hard work and dedication are like an inspiration to the country's youth.

This great achievement made by India created a new history for the country, and will surely be remembered for generations to come and would also be acknowledged all around the world.