(Wall Street Journal)
Rajesh Roy Eric Bellman March 27, 2019 9:07 a.m.
NEW DELHI—India said it successfully tested a satellite-destroying missile, signaling its growing military ambitions by joining the small group of countries with weapons to carry war into space.
With the Wednesday morning test—which destroyed an Indian satellite orbiting around 186 miles up—the South Asian nation became the fourth to prove capable of targeting the thousands of satellites circling the Earth, crucial links for communication, military and intelligence networks. The others are the U.S., Russia and China.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the development in an afternoon address to the nation and social-media blitz.
“India stands tall as a space power,” he said. “It will make India stronger, even more secure and will further peace and harmony.”
The test will likely trigger further discussions about the weaponization of space, an issue that has flared up since President Trump called for the U.S. to add a “space force” to its military to defend and target the crucial systems in space.
America started developing space weapons systems in the 1950s, and by the 1980s space was expected to be the next frontier for its arms race with the former Soviet Union. President Ronald Reagan pushed for development of a space-based missile shield—dubbed “Star Wars” by doubters—but the issue of conflict in space faded after the end of the Cold War.
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