Table Of ContentAsian Space Race: Rhetoric or Reality?
Ajey Lele
Asian Space Race: Rhetoric
or Reality?
123
AjeyLele
InstituteforDefenceStudies&
Analyses
RaoTulaRamMarg
NewDelhi
India
ISBN978-81-322-0732-0 ISBN978-81-322-0733-7(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-81-322-0733-7
SpringerIndiaHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon
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To Pramada
Preface
Spacedisciplinehasattractedtheattentionofmanyformorethansixdecades.Ifirst
gotalluredto space science andastronomyas a studentof Physics. Subsequently,
as a part of my profession as an aviation meteorologist over a decade and half, I
was the user of space technologies.For a decadeor so, while workingin a policy
think tank on international relations and security issues, I am trying to juxtapose
thethemeofstrategictechnologiesonasecuritydomain.Thisbookisanattemptto
contextualisetheseeffortstodevelopanexplicitidea.
Thisbookattemptstodescribethecurrentstateofspaceprogrammesofvarious
Asianstates.Itprovidesasummaryoftheirprogrammesandhighlightstheirmajor
contributions.Thisworkalsodeliberatesaboutthestrategicsignificanceofvarious
Asianspaceprogrammes.Itisanattempttofindaconnectionbetweentechnology,
interests,strategicrelevanceandpowerwithregardtoAsia’sspaceagenda.
IowemygratitudetotheInstituteforDefenceStudiesandAnalyses(IDSA)and
my previousand present DirectorsGeneralMr N S Sisodia and Dr Arvind Gupta
forencouragingmetoundertakeresearchonthissubject.TheIDSAlibrary,alarge
storehouseof informationI haveevercame across,made myjob simpler. I would
like to thankparticularlyMrPitambar DattandMr MukeshKumarJha forallthe
assistanceprovidedtomeinobtainingvariousmaterialanddata.Overtheyears,I
havebeeninteractingwithvariouspolicymakersandacademiciansbothwithinand
outsideIndia.Iamgratefultothemformanyusefuldiscussions.
Lastly, my gratitude to my parents and wife Pramada and son Nipun for their
support.Thecontentsofthismanuscriptreflectmyownpersonalviews.
vii
Contents
PartI Introduction
1 StructureoftheBook ...................................................... 3
Reference..................................................................... 6
2 ConceptofAsiaandRelevanceofSpaceTechnologies................. 7
WhatIsAsia? ................................................................ 8
AsianContext................................................................ 9
PoliticalPatronageforTechnologyDevelopment.......................... 11
ScientificandTechnologicalPragmatism................................... 13
GrowthofTechnologyinAsia........................................ 14
RelevanceofSpaceTechnologiesforAsia........................... 18
TheSpaceEraandAsia ..................................................... 19
SpacePower.................................................................. 22
KeyAsianSpacePlayers.................................................... 24
References.................................................................... 25
PartII AsianSpaceNarratives
3 WestAsia’sInvestmentsinSpaceTechnologies......................... 29
Iran............................................................................ 29
Israel.......................................................................... 34
OtherStates .................................................................. 38
References.................................................................... 42
4 Pakistan’sSpaceCapabilities ............................................. 43
SpacePlan.................................................................... 44
TechnologyRevolution...................................................... 50
Assessment................................................................... 54
References.................................................................... 58
ix
x Contents
5 India’sSpaceProgramme ................................................. 59
References.................................................................... 67
6 EastAsia’sSpaceAgenda ................................................. 69
NorthKorea.................................................................. 69
SouthKorea.................................................................. 73
Taiwan........................................................................ 76
References.................................................................... 77
7 China’sSpaceProgramme ................................................ 79
Assessment................................................................... 91
References.................................................................... 92
8 Japan’sSpaceProgramme ................................................ 95
OrganisationalStructure..................................................... 96
LaunchVehicles.............................................................. 98
SatelliteSystems............................................................. 100
SpaceIndigenizationandtheUSPolicies .................................. 101
ChangeinSpacePolicy...................................................... 102
ScientificExperimentsandInterplanetaryMissions ....................... 104
Assessment................................................................... 106
References.................................................................... 107
9 SpaceInvestments:SoutheastAsia....................................... 109
Indonesia..................................................................... 110
Malaysia...................................................................... 115
Vietnam....................................................................... 117
OtherStates .................................................................. 120
References.................................................................... 121
PartIII StrategicImplicationsofSpaceTechnologies
10 MissileandNuclearConundrums........................................ 125
NuclearPierce................................................................ 126
ConcealedMissileAmbitions............................................... 128
MissileDefence.............................................................. 135
MIRV......................................................................... 137
Assessment................................................................... 139
References.................................................................... 140
11 SatelliteNavigationandAsia.............................................. 143
History........................................................................ 144
PresentGenerationSystems................................................. 145
AsianNavigationalSystems................................................. 146
Japan ................................................................... 147
China................................................................... 149
India.................................................................... 153
