India, Nov. 15 -- Outer space has evolved from a domain primarily associated with scientific exploration and technological advancement into an increasingly important arena of geopolitical competition. Satellites and space-based infrastructure now support military communications, navigation, intelligence gathering, missile warning, weather forecasting, and economic activities. As states become more dependent on these systems, the ability to protect, disrupt, or deny access to space-based capabilities has acquired growing strategic significance.

The militarisation of space is not a recent development. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union recognised the strategic value of satellites for surveillance, communications, a...