India’s first-ever space exercise ‘Antariksha Abhyas’ begins

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) India has initiated its first-ever space exercise called  ‘Antariksha Abhyas – 2024’ which is being hosted by the Defence Space Agency. 

Ministry of Defence said that the ‘Antariksha Abhyas’ is a three-day exercise. “It is being conducted by the Defence Space Agency of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff from 11 to 13 November,” the ministry said. 

It added that ‘Exercise Antariksha Abhyas’ is a first-of-its-kind and is expected to help secure national strategic objectives in space and integrate India’s space capability in military operations. 

At the 'Antariksha Abhyas 2024’, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said: “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”. 

Highlighting that space was becoming increasingly congested, contested, competitive and commercial, the CDS impressed upon the military leadership to secure our national interests in space by fostering innovation and developing cutting-edge technologies and state-of-the-art systems in collaboration with DRDO, ISRO and Academia.

Ministry of Defence said that this space exercise aims to provide an enhanced understanding of space-based assets and services and to gain an understanding of operational dependency on space segments between stakeholders. 

In addition, it intends to identify vulnerabilities in the conduct of operations in the event of denial or disruptions of space-based services. It will have participants from the Defence Space Agency and its allied units along with personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force. 

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

Representatives from the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Defence Research and Development Organisation will also take part in it.