US State Department Acknowledges Mission Shakti, Reiterates Its Strong Partnership With India

The United States on Wednesday (27 March) said that it has taken note of the India’s statement on anti-satellite test and that Washington will “continue to pursue shared interests in space” with New Delhi.

As reported earlier, under ‘Mission Shakti’, India, on 27 March, successfully tested an anti-satellite missile (A-SAT missile) by shooting down a live low earth orbit satellite about 300 km away from the earth surface.

“The State Department saw PM Modi's statement that announced India's anti-satellite test. As part of our strong strategic partnership with India, we will continue to pursue shared interests in space and scientific and technical cooperation, including collaboration on safety and security in space,” said a statement by US State Department, as reported by ANI.

“The issue of space debris is an important concern for the U.S. government. We took note of Indian government statements that the test was designed to address space debris issues,” the statement added.

Earlier, following the ‘Mission Shakti’ operation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address, had assured the international community that this test does not violate any international treaty and that India remains committed against the arms race in space, as reported by ANI.