The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday that the reason why Mission Shakti was undertaken only today was because it was only now that India “acquired the required degree of confidence to ensure its success”.

“The tests were done after we had acquired the required degree of confidence to ensure its success, and reflects the intention of the government to enhance India’s national security,” the MEA said in a statement, while adding that “India has seen an accelerated space development programme since 2014”.

The MEA statement was issued minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the success of the historic mission, which was undertaken by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

“The test was done to verify that India has the capability to safeguard our space assets. It is the Government of India’s responsibility to defend the country’s interests in outer space,” the MEA said.

The MEA pointed out that 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 weaponisation of Outer Space and support international efforts to reinforce the safety and security of space based assets,” the statement read.

“India is not in violation of any international law or Treaty to which it is a Party or any national obligation,” the MEA stressed, adding that Mission Shakti is not directed against any country.

The MEA underlined that India is a party to all the major international treaties relating to Outer Space, already implements a number of Transparency and Confidence Building Measures (TCBMs) and has been participating in all sessions of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

“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,” the MEA said.

The MEA also emphasised that India has a long standing and rapidly growing space programme which has “expanded rapidly in the last five years”.

“The Mangalyaan Mission to Mars was successfully launched. Thereafter, the government has sanctioned the Gaganyaan Mission which will take Indians to outer space,” the MEA release added.

Calling India’s space programme “a critical backbone of India’s security, economic and social infrastructure”, the MEA said that 102 spacecraft missions have been undertaken so far.

India is a signatory to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the principal international treaty on space. “The Outer Space Treaty prohibits only weapons of mass destruction in outer space, not ordinary weapons,” the MEA pointed out.