#OperationShakti Assuming that it was a non debris generation test, an analysis of the Indian ASAT test announced today must await more details. Did the test involve kinetic destruction as implied by the PM in his address to the nation?
If there was kinetic destruction, there would be debris. However, the debris generated would be shorter lived than the debris resulting from the 2007 Chinese ASAT test against a satellite orbiting at 865-km #OperationShakti
The PM's announcement did smack of election rhetoric. France, UK, Israel, Japan and perhaps some other countries have ASAT capability, but have not tested. India in the past had said it has no desire to test a ASAT weapon. Why the change of heart? #OperationShakti
Non kinetic disablement of adversary satellites using directed energy, and hardening our space assets against Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) & equipping them for evasive maneuvering against kinetic weapons makes more sense. #OperationShakti
India has claimed ASAT capability since 2012 and categorically stated that it has no desire to test, IDP Sentinel members have known about the capability since the very first announcement. sites.google.com/site/idpsentin…
The PIB release announcing the test intriguingly states the interceptor was a 3 stage missile with two solid rocket boosters. So it wasn't the PDV which has 2 solid stages. You can read a detailed description of the PDV missile at sites.google.com/site/idpsentin…
Was the 3rd stage a liquid rocket motor stage? In which case the interceptor would be a bit of a hack! Or is the maneuvering warhead being referred to as the 3rd stage?
The ASAT interceptor appears to be 1m in diameter. An interstage is visible. I suspect the first 2 stages are of Agni-II and the third stage of the ASAT interceptor is PDV second stage. 
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