China's Anti- Satellite Missile Dong Neng-3 Threatens Indian Satellite Security

Shailesh Kumar, 

New Delhi

Contrails of Dong Neng-3 in Xinjiang As Reported in Chinese Social Media 

China once again secretly tests an anti- satellite missile launched from it Korla Missile Facility located in remote Xinjiang province. The test, which was conducted in full secrecy on 30^th October, sparked speculation that Beijing is testing a hypersonic orbital weapon aimed at taking down enemy satellites.

The missile DongNeng-3 travelled at hypersonic speed in a complex upward trajectory. The spiral contrails it left during an energy-management steering maneuvers have been widely captured and shared on China’s social media.

With the development of new weapon China posses challenge to the security of Indian and American satellites in Orbital altitude ranging from 1000 kilometers to 36000 kilometers.

Indian Satellites under threats from Dong-Neng-3 missiles include- 11 Indian Remote Sensing Satellites, Technology Experiment Satellite, RISAT-2, Cartosat-2, Cartosat-2A, and Cartosat-2B.  

The test signals that China might been developing an Orbital Defence System (ODS) against Indian ICBMs like Agni-VI or a prospective Hypersonic Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) besides an offensive role of satellite killer. China also fears American hypersonic Weapon platforms like X-51a and ICBMs which can pierce its current strategic air defence system (ADS) with capability of nuclear strike. The Dong Neng-3 or DN-3 missile which it tested aims to track, shoot and kill not only just a orbiting satellite but also the missiles or hypersonic weapon in exo-atmosphere or in earth’s orbit thereby terminating the missile threat in the earth’s orbit way before entering into its aerospace or air space.

The latest test can not be limited to perfecting a anti-satellite kill vehicle only as China has already proven to posses that capability way back in January 2007. China had shoot down one of its own aging satellite Feng Yun 1C Polar Orbit Weather Satellite that it had launched into Orbit in 1999. According to Hong Kong Newpaper, Ming Pao, the test of DN-3 is likely to be the final phase interception test conducted 8^th time.

 “The capability to intercept was one of the capabilities of the PRC Hongqi-19 missile, and may be employed to intercept high supersonic gliding targets on the offensive,” Ming Pao stated.

China has also recently developed KZ-I and KZ-II quick response space launchers. A DN-3 weapon based on the KZ-11 launcher would be capable of hitting targets at higher orbits.

China has been secretly pursuing a broad and robust array of counter space capabilities, which includes direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital anti-satellite systems, computer network operations, ground-based satellite jammers, and directed energy weapons. It disguised its anti-satellite tests in 2010, 2013, and 2014 as missile defense interceptor tests. It claimed that each test involved a high-speed intercept of a mock warhead launched by a ballistic missile and not a satellite as a way to avoid debris.

China has become the third country after Russia and America to possess the technology.

China has constantly militarizing the space while it publicly maintains to be the advocate of peaceful use of space.