Exercise (Conducted by defense space agency (DSA)) aims to help secure national strategic objectives in space and integrate India’s space capability in military operations.

• Space Defense accounts for prevention of potential threats to space assets (Kinetic, direct energy, jamming, cyber etc.) and existing countermeasures. 

Need for space defense

• It can arise due to Military, Non- military threats etc.
  • Non-Military Threats (uncontrolled and natural): Includes Space Debris and Radiation leading to failure of satellite systems.
  • Military threats (controlled)
    • Cyber-attacks: hacking on-board sensors, uplink and downlink jamming, tracking operations, etc.
    • Anti-satellite weapons: Direct-ascent asat, orbital asat etc.
    • Rendezvous and Proximity Operations: De-orbiting satellites, directed energy attack from proximity, deterrence etc.
  • Surveillance and Reconnaissance: Using high-resolution cameras, synthetic aperture radars etc. for weapon deployment, border security etc.

Challenges to Space defense in India

• Low Private investment, Need of National Defense Space Strategy, functional silos with lack of collaboration among stakeholders, long defense procurement procedure etc.

Way forward

• Passing draft new Remote Sensing Policy and the new Satcom Policy.
• Fast defense procurement procedures, R&D strategy for technology identification frameworks etc.
• Exploring integration of Satcom with battle plans and enabling close collaboration in DSA, DSRO AND ISRO.