Ron Paul: Most Americans DON’T want war with Iran & secrets of the space race (E774)

Outer space belongs to all mankind and it is the shared responsibility of the international community to uphold outer space security.China upholds the peaceful use of outer space and opposes weaponizing outer space or space arms race. For many years, China has been working hard with other countries to try to reach an international legal instrument to prevent the weaponization of or an arms race in outer space.

There have been some negative moves relating to the security of outer space recently. Some big country has described outer space as the "new war-fighting domain" and announced to establish a "space force" to regularly conduct outer space exercises, which makes it more likely to turn the risks of weaponizing outer space into reality and make the outer space a battlefield. Despite all these, the big country has been calling others "outer space security threats" to justify its own military build-up in outer space and R&D in advanced weapons. If the relevant party cares about the security of outer space, it should work with China and the international community and actively participate in the arms control process of outer space in order to make its due contributions to maintaining outer space security instead of doing the opposite.

Statement from the Indian High Commission:

Mission Shakti, India’s Anti-Satellite Missile test conducted on 27 March, 2019.

On 27 March, 2019 India conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex. This was a technological mission carried out by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India.
The Satellite used in the Mission was one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit. The DRDO’s Ballistic Missile Defence interceptor was used, which is part of the ongoing ballistic missile defence programme. The test was fully successful and achieved all parameters as per plans.

The significance of the test was that India tested and successfully demonstrated its capability to interdict and intercept a satellite in Outer Space based on complete indigenous technology. The test required an extremely high degree of precision and technical capability. The test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris. Whatever debris that generated would decay and fall back onto the earth within weeks.

India has a long standing and rapidly growing space programme. It has expanded rapidly in the last five years. The Mangalyaan Mission to Mars was successfully launched. Thereafter, the government sanctioned the Gaganyaan Mission which will take Indians to outer space.
India has undertaken 102 Spacecraft Missions consisting of communication satellites, earth observation satellites, experimental satellites, navigation satellites, apart from satellites meant for scientific research and exploration, academic studies and other small satellites. India’s space programme is a critical backbone of India’s security, economic and social infrastructure.

India has no intention of entering into an arms race in outer space. We have always maintained that space must be used only for peaceful purposes. We are against the weaponization of Outer Space and support international efforts to reinforce the safety and security of space-based assets.

India believes that Outer space is the common heritage of humankind and it is the responsibility of all space-faring nations to preserve and promote the benefits flowing from advances made in space technology and its applications for all.
India is a party to all the major international treaties relating to Outer Space. The principal international Treaty on space is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. India is a signatory to this treaty, and ratified it in 1982. The Outer Space Treaty prohibits only weapons of mass destruction in outer space, not ordinary weapons.

India already implements a number of Transparency and Confidence Building Measures(TCBMs) – including registering space objects with the UN register, prelaunch notifications, measures in harmony with the UN Space Mitigation Guidelines, participation in Inter Agency Space Debris Coordination (IADC) activities with regard to space debris management, undertaking SOPA (Space Object Proximity Awareness and COLA (Collision Avoidance) Analysis and numerous international cooperation activities, including hosting the UN affiliated Centre for Space and Science Technology Education in Asia and Pacific. India has been participating in all sessions of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

India supported UNGA resolution 69/32 on No First Placement of Weapons on Outer Space. We see the No First Placement of weapons in outer space as only an interim step and not a substitute for concluding substantive legal measures to ensure the prevention of an arms race in outer space, which should continue to be a priority for the international community.

India supports the substantive consideration of the issue of Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) in the Conference on Disarmament where it has been on the agenda since 1982.

India is not in violation of any international law or Treaty to which it is a Party or any national obligation. The test was not directed against any country. India’s space capabilities do not threaten any country and nor are they directed against anyone.
At the same time, India is committed to ensuring its national security interests and is alert to threats from emerging technologies. The capability achieved through the Anti-Satellite missile test provides credible deterrence against threats to our growing space-based assets from long range missiles, and proliferation in the types and numbers of missiles.

With this test, India joins an exclusive group of space faring nations consisting of USA, Russia and China.