By Staff Correspondent
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, has stressed the urgent need for India to bolster its space capabilities in response to the rapid advancements made by a certain adversary, widely believed to be China. Speaking at the Indian DefSpace Symposium 2023 organised by the Indian Space Association (ISpA), Gen. Chauhan emphasised the importance of safeguarding India’s space assets and ensuring their resilience and sustainability in the face of potential space warfare.
Gen. Chauhan underscored the significance of developing India’s own cyber-secure, space-based, high-speed, resilient communication system by leveraging cutting-edge quantum encryption technology. He highlighted the need to fully capitalise on the potential of affordable low Earth orbit satellites, miniaturised sensors, and reusable rockets, as well as implementing multi-sensor Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) constellations to provide real-time, accurate, and precise dual intelligence pictures with precision methodological inputs.
“We are discussing the capabilities of another adversary, which it was said was galloping very fast and will soon overtake the space capabilities of its nearest competitor. That only goes to indicate that we need to sharpen our focus on the capabilities being developed and the capability that we can use to counter them. That is important for us,” remarked Gen. Chauhan.
The CDS also emphasised the need for secure, reliable, and resilient Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) to address India’s Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) requirements and chemical weapon systems, including strategic missiles, which require special attention. He further highlighted the importance of incorporating defensive and deterrent components into India’s space system to safeguard against future space-based threats.
The disparity in satellite numbers between India and China was also brought to light, with China currently possessing 541 active satellites in orbit compared to India’s 29, which includes satellites built by universities and start-ups. Experts also noted that China made significantly more launch attempts in 2022, with 64 compared to India’s five.
In a significant development, Gen. Chauhan unveiled an indigenously developed chip that could serve as the core for navigation, positioning, and timing applications in India. The chip is designed to work with India’s NavIC or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellites, according to Lieutenant Colonel V S Velan, founder of Elena Geo Systems. The first chips were handed over to the CDS, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Samir V Kamat, and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, signifying a major step towards enhancing India’s indigenous space capabilities.
As the global space race intensifies and adversaries make rapid strides in space technology, Gen. Chauhan’s call for India to sharpen its focus on developing space capabilities and protecting its space assets is a timely reminder of the need to safeguard India’s interests in the evolving strategic domain of space. With cutting-edge technologies such as quantum encryption and indigenously developed chips, India is poised to significantly advance its space capabilities, positioning itself as a formidable player in the space arena.
