Since 2008, India has had a Military Space Cell, a tri-service organisation under the aegis of the Integrated Defence Services (IDS). In 2019, as reported by TNIE, “The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the setting up of this new agency called the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA), which has been entrusted with the task of creating space warfare weapon systems and technologies,” said Defence Ministry sources.The agency is said to have a team of scientists who would be working in close coordination with the tri-services headquarters of the Integrated Defence Staff officers. This agency would be providing research and development support to the newly announced tri-service DSA created to help the country fight wars in space. It will be composed of personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force. It is likely to command all the space assets including A-SAT capability.In 2019 itself, India carried out the Anti-Satellite Test which demonstrated its capability to shoot down satellites in space. China conducted an anti-satellite test (ASAT) in 2007.For the first time, in 2010, the then Defence Minister formed an Integrated Space Cell under the aegis of the Integrated Defence Services Headquarters, a joint set-up of the armed forces, Department of Space and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) working to protect India’s space-based assets.Further, in 2011 the Naresh Chandra Task Force, a Task Force on National Security, recommended the establishment of a tri-service Aerospace Command (to be headed by a three-star general). Eventually, in 2019, the government upgraded the Integrated Space Cell to the DSA, headed by a two-star general.
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