India has shot down a live satellite in space as part of a successful test of new missile technology, prime minister Narendra Modi has announced.
The operation, dubbed Mission Shakti, makes India part of a “super league” of nations to have achieved such a feat, Mr Modi said, alongside the US,
Russia and China.
The announcement comes weeks after India engaged in aerial clashes with
Pakistan over the disputed border of
Kashmir. “This new technology is not directed against any particular country,” the prime minister said.
The target of the test was “one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit”, a foreign ministry source said, rather than an asset belonging to another country. Experts said a mini-satellite was put into low orbit one month ago, likely for this purpose.
Mr Modi’s address, which he trailed as an “important statement” on Twitter, was simultaneously broadcast on All-India Radio and all national TV stations.
