India on Wednesday successfully tested a state-of-the-art missile technology by shooting down a satellite parked at low earth orbit, which is 300 kilometres from the earth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address to the nation.

He said that the defence and space scientists used an anti-satellite missile (ASM) to destroy a mini-satellite in space. He said India is now a space power.  

India, now joins the exclusive club of US, Russia and China which have the capability.

In his address to the nation, Modi congratulated space and defence scientists, and said it was a demonstration of capability, space power, self defence and peaceful. He said that India has completed ‘Operation Shakti’. All equipment used in the operation was developed indigenously and entire operation was executed in just three minutes.

'Peace not war'

“We aim for peace and not war,” Modi said while adding that it is an important step towards securing India's safety, economic growth and technological advancement. He assured the international community that this experiment was not against any country in particular. Also, it is not against any international convention or treaty. Such a mission will help in achieving security milestones for the country, he added.

Interestingly in May 1998, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced that India has emerged as a Nuclear power, after a series of nuclear explosions were conducted in Pokhran. That operation was also called Shakthi.  

While Indian defence scientists have established capability in launching Agni V, the intercontinental ballistic missile as well as anti-missile defence shield, where it has shown its ability to, shoot down incoming missiles.

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