India is Developing Missiles to Launch an Anti-Satellite Weapon
India's first indigenously developed missile, the Prithvi, has provided the basic technology for further ballistic missile development. As a result of these efforts, the Indian government has several on-going ballistic missile systems in development that could launch an ASAT device. The Prithvi is a derivation from the Soviet SA-2 SAM. It is a short-range, surface- to-surface missile with a range of less than 100 nautical miles and a payload of 1,000 kilograms. The Indian Defence Research and Development Laboratory began design work on the Prithvi in 1983. India first launched the missile in 1988. It has been deployed as part of the Indian Army's weapons arsenal. India next developed a second generation Prithvi, the SS- 250 -- an Indian Air Force version of the missile. The SS-250 was first tested in early 1996. The range of this version of the missile was increased by about 50 percent but its payload was reduced by 50 percent. The Indian government expanded the Prithvi's test program in 1995 and conducted the last test launches of this missile on 27 January 1996 and 23 February 1997. Although it is not capable of launching ASAT missions, the Prithvi led to the design of a more powerful missile, the Agni, which has allowed India to make further advances in its missile development program.