What is ASAT? Examine its strategic importance and issues associated with it. (250 words)
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Answer:
ASAT (anti -satellite missile) is the technological capability to hit and destroy satellite in space through missiles launches from the ground. India launched a missile from Balasore in odisha that struck a predetermined redundant Indian satellite that was orbiting at a distance of 300 km from the Earth's surface. The test made the India the fourth country in the world after the US ,Russia and China to acquire the strategic capability to shoot down enemy satellite. Strategic Importance Satellites are extremely critical infrastructure of any country. A large number of crucial applications like navigation systems , communication networks , boardcasting, banking system , stock markets , weathering forecasting , disaster management , land and ocean mapping and monitoring and military applications are satellite based . Destroying a satellite would render these appliactions useleas this gaining strategic advantage.