The fact is that Indian security establishment knew that China was working on an anti-satellite weapon for the past three years and was expecting to test it in 2007.

Although India is totally opposed to militarisation of space, it is bothered that the Chinese weapon was tested by the second artillery battalion of the Peoples Liberation Army using terminal guidance.

New Delhi has noted Bejing’s approach of going for a “hard kill” (shooting down the satellite) rather than “soft kill” (using laser to disable the satellite for a limited purpose).

However, rather than raise the China bogey all over, the Indian establishment is confident at its own technological prowess. After all, the DRDO used a souped up Prithvi to knock down another Prithvi ballistic missile in “exo-atmospheric” conditions on November 27, 2006.

That the missile was shot beyond atmosphere using terminal guidance means that the second Prithvi was imitating an Inter-Continental Ballistic Range weapon. DRDO’s V.K. Saraswat has already announced an “endo-atmospheric” interception test later this year.