Mission Shakti: India tests anti-satellite missile, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Wednesday that India had shot down a live satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with an anti-satellite missile, describing the test as a milestone that placed the country among the world’s space powers.

What the Prime Minister said

In a televised address to the nation, Mr Modi said the operation, named Mission Shakti, struck a pre-determined target and was completed in three minutes. He said that only three countries, the US, Russia and China, had this capability before India, and that the effort was entirely indigenous. The mission was carried out by scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

He said the A-SAT missile would strengthen India’s space programme and contribute to its security, economic growth and technological progress. Seeking to reassure the world, he said the capability was purely defensive, was not aimed at anyone, and that India opposed an arms race in space. He added that the test did not violate any international law or treaty.

Reactions and timing

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari congratulated the scientists and said India was on its way to becoming a scientific as well as an economic power. Television reports said the announcement followed a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security.

The address came about two weeks after the Election Commission announced the general election schedule and the model code of conduct took effect. Voting for 543 Lok Sabha seats is to be held in seven phases starting on 11 April, with the BJP led by Mr Modi facing a Congress led by Rahul Gandhi that is working with regional parties.

What happened next

The BJP won 303 seats in the 2019 election and Mr Modi was sworn in for a second term on 30 May 2019.

Originally published on 27 March 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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