NASA’s View on Mission Shakti Discriminatory: Ex-DRDO Scientist

The NASA head on Tuesday had said that India shooting down one of its own satellites was a “terrible thing”.

With the NASA chief saying, on Tuesday, 2 April, that India shooting down one of its own satellites was a "terrible thing" as it created about 400 pieces of orbital debris, a former DRDO scientist has said that the reported statement was "irresponsible and discriminatory".

Speaking to The Quint, Ravi Gupta, who was Scientist G and Director at the Directorate of Public Interface in DRDO, also asserted that he has serious doubts about NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine's statement that as a result of the Indian test, the risk of collision with the International Space Station (ISS) has increased by 44 percent over 10 days.

"One needs to note that India conducted the test at a very low-earth orbit. I want to ask what is the percentage of risk posed by the assets of other countries?" Gupta said.

The Indian satellite was destroyed at a relatively low altitude of 180 miles (300 kilometres), well below the ISS and most satellites in orbit. Moreover, the risk is also expected to dissipate over time as much of the debris will burn up as it enters the atmosphere.

Pointing that the debris left due to Mission Shakti would have been a small proportion of the total amount left in other missions cumulatively, Gupta said:

“When you’re launching a satellite, it can generate a large amount of debris – around 700 pieces. Even when a satellite has lived its life and becomes useless, there is a significant amount of debris that gets left behind. Thousands of satellites have been launched till now and a large amount of debris has been created especially by the missions of US, Russia, China, etc.”

Former DRDO scientist Ravi Gupta to The Quint

He further shed light on how a Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007 had left 3,000 pieces of space debris – significantly more than India’s mission.

Notably, just days after it had conducted its test a decade ago, China had been admonished by the then-chairperson of ISRO, G Madhavan Nair, over the issue of space debris.

Madhavan had said:

“They (China) should not have done that. It’s against international convention…. we are not supposed to weaponise outer space… by killing a satellite, you create much more debris. Today, about 8,000 objects are there in orbit. By blasting one satellite, you create another few hundred (objects). I don’t know why they did that.”

Former ISRO chairperson Madhavan Nair in 2007

'Collective Responsibility'

According to Dinesh C Sharma, journalist and managing editor of India Science Wire, anti-satellite missions that end up creating debris are deliberate in nature, and have been carried out in the past by other countries too. Having left significant amount of debris in these missions, Sharma says it is the collective responsibility of the countries to address this problem.

“One of the options on the table for all space agencies is de-orbiting or decommissioning satellites at the end of their life so that they no more keep circulating aimlessly in space. This would mean the junk is made to re-enter the atmosphere where it gets burnt.”

Dinesh C Sharma, Journalist, Managing editor, India Science Wire

(With inputs from AFP.)