Space Domain Exploitation

Strategic and Doctrinal Imperatives

Authors

  • Ankur Mathur Indian Air Force Author

Keywords:

Space dominance, Space Domain Awareness, Space Situational Awareness, Strategic Deterrence in Space, Space Militarization

Abstract

The Indian space programme reached a crucial milestone when the Vikram moon Lander achieved a soft touchdown close to the south Pole of the moon. This feat of a soft landing on the moon has been achieved by only three other countries in the past. The erstwhile UssR was the first nation to achieve a soft landing on the moon in 1966. It was, however, the UsA that achieved the maiden feat of landing humans on the moon in 1969. China achieved a soft landing on the moon with its spacecraft in 2013 and followed it with two more successful attempts, including one on the dark side of the moon. However, one cannot fail to notice the long gap between the first two feats achieved by the US and the US and then later by China and India. The quest for space, or the pace of it, often termed as the “space race”, was different during the 1950s through the 1970s. Back then, the two sole superpowers, the USSR, and the US, were frantically trying to outsmart each other in the space domain. It may be recalled that it was also an era when computing and electronics technologies were in a nascent stage, and despite the technological challenges, remarkable feats were achieved in space-faring. The fierce competition of the Cold War diverted huge sums in these nations into research and development in space. It was not easy as the missions had to face multiple failures. The soviet Luna series faced at least 10 failures before achieving a successful soft landing. Similar was the success rate of the US-led Ranger probes, which failed 13 times before tasting success.

Author Biography

  • Ankur Mathur, Indian Air Force

    Group Captain Ankur Mathur was commissioned in the Indian Air Force (IAF) on June 16, 2001. He is presently posted at an Air Force station in the Eastern Air Command (EAC), IAF.

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Published

2025-01-04

How to Cite

Space Domain Exploitation: Strategic and Doctrinal Imperatives. (2025). Air Power Journal, 19(3), 23-43. https://journals.capsindia.org/index.php/apj/article/view/3