NEW DELHI: India is capable of hitting multiple targets in space, DRDO chief G Satheesh Reddy said on Saturday. “It is a question of how many launchers you have. Multiple (targets) is definitely feasible,” he said, adding that the interceptor was capable of hitting targets much higher, at a strike range of up to 1,000 km. On March 27, India successfully tested its anti-satellite system.
Seeking to allay concerns over the debris from the destroyed satellite posing a threat to the International Space Station (ISS), Reddy said the mission, in which a satellite in Low Earth Orbit was destroyed, was designed to minimise debris, which would all “decay in 45 days”.
American space agency NASA, whose head James Bridenstine recently called India’s test a “terrible thing” and claimed the debris was a threat to the ISS, has now said it will continue to cooperate with India’s ISRO, after apparent prodding from the White House.Reddy said, “We need to conduct more such tests in this orbit (300 km above the earth), as the recent has produced enough data or inputs for similar missions.”
He said the ISS is about 100-125 km away from the satellite which was destroyed by India.
Emphasising that the A-SAT test was indigenous, Reddy said, “As much as 90% of the technology and systems which were key to this mission were designed and produced through participation of 50 Indian industries. About 2,000 components, including critical subsystems related to avionics and nozzles were indigenously built.”Asked whether there was a need to put together a separate Space Command, Reddy said it is a “political decision”.