New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan Thursday said India needs to sharpen its focus on developing space capabilities to counter the rapid advances in the sector made by “an adversary”, an apparent reference to China.
Addressing the valedictory session of the Indian DefSpace Symposium, Gen Chauhan also stressed on the need to focus on protecting the country’s space assets to ensure that they are resilient as well as sustainable in case of a future space war.
The CDS said it was important for India to build its own cyber-secure, space-based, high-speed resilient communication by leveraging quantum encryption.
“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 capability that we can use to counter them. That is important for us,” Chauhan said.
He said the time has come now to leverage the full potential offered by affordable low Earth orbit satellites, miniaturised sensors and reusable rockets or putting in place multi sensor ISR constellations to serve us real time, accurate, precise and persistent dual intelligence pictures along with precision methodological inputs.
“It is also important that we build our own cyber-secure, space-based, high-speed resilient communication, leveraging quantum encryption, covering the entire area of interest to enable the full spectrum of operations in a seamless manner,” Chauhan said.
“A secure, reliable and resilient NavIC to address our PNT requirements and chemical weapon systems including strategic missiles need special attention. We also need to focus on protecting our space assets and to ensure that both are resilient as well as sustainable. In case of a future space war. We must have a defensive as well as deterrent component in-built into this particular system,” the CDS said.
As of May 2022, China has 541 active satellites in orbit as against 29 of India, which include six built by universities and start-ups. In terms of launch attempts, China made 64 such attempts in 2022 as against five by India, experts said.
The CDS also unveiled an indigenously developed chip that could form the core of the navigation, positioning and timing applications in India.
“The chip works using Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellites,” Elena Geo Systems founder Lt Col V S Velan said.
The first chips were handed over to the Chief of Defence Staff, Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Samir V Kamat, and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
PTI