In a first, space exercise 'Antariksha Abhyas' gets underway in Delhi

New Delhi: A first-of-its-kind exercise aiming to secure India's national strategic objectives in space got underway here on Monday with Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan asserting that space is now the "critical enabler" of the country's defence and security apparatus.

'Antariksha Abhyas – 2024', an exercise to "war-game the growing threats from and to space-based assets and services", is being conducted by the Defence Space Agency of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff from November 11-13, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Highlighting that space was becoming increasingly "congested, contested, competitive and commercial", CDS Chauhan impressed upon the military leadership to secure national interests in space by fostering innovation and developing cutting-edge technologies and state-of-the-art systems in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and academia.

The first-of-its-kind exercise is expected to help secure national strategic objectives in space and integrate India's space capability in military operations, the statement said.

In his opening address, the CDS outlined the importance of the exercise.

"Space, once considered the final frontier, is now the critical enabler of India's defence and security apparatus. With its rich legacy of space exploration and growing military capabilities, India is well positioned to navigate the challenges posed to space-based capabilities," he was quoted as saying in the statement.

The space exercise aims to provide enhanced understanding of space-based assets and services, and to gain understanding of operational dependency on space segment between stakeholders, the ministry said.

In addition, the exercise intends to "identify vulnerabilities" in conduct of operations in the event of "denial or disruptions" of space-based services, it said.

It will have participants from the Defence Space Agency and its allied units along with personnel from the Army, Navy and the Air Force.

Specialist branches under Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, viz., Defence Cyber Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency and Strategic Forces Command would also be active participants in the conduct of the exercise.

Representatives from ISRO and DRDO will also take part in it, the statement said.