Emerging Trends of Space Weaponization: India’s Quest for Space Weapons and Implications for Security in South Asia

ABSTRACT There are tangible indicators that India, being a revisionist state and with a mature space program, aspires to join the club of states with space weapon capability. It is argued that India’s quest for space weaponization is detrimental to strategic stability and deterrence of the South Asian region. Re-conceptualizing and revising existing space laws to develop a new legal framework to address momentum towards the weaponization of outer space is important in this context. This paper assesses the emerging trend of space militarization leading to space weaponization and its implications for South Asian security.