The Indian legislative elections in May 2019 gave Prime Minister N. Modi's party an absolute legislative majority, as well as significant legitimacy for the “Made in India” program initiated several years ago. In fact, after its new Minister of Defense took office, the country embarked on a series of reforms intended to give the armed forces the necessary capabilities to face geopolitical developments and future threats.
Space obviously plays an important part in New Delhi's new strategy, the country being led in this area by its Chinese neighbor, who is very dynamic on the subject. This is the reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved, last week, the creation of a Space Research Agency, under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense, responsible for developing new space technologies in the field of Defense, but also in certain civilian areas.
This agency will absorb existing organizations working on the subject, such as the Defense Image Processing and Analysis Center, and the Military Satellite Control Center, and will work in concert with the Indian Space Research Organization, as well as Defense Research and Development Organization. It will bring together nearly 200 personnel from the 3 armies, under the command of an Air Marshal, himself under the authority of the Indian Defense Space Agency created in April, and in charge, in particular, of weapons tests. anti-satellites, like the one tested in March, the debris of which continues to worry world space agencies.