Previous discussion on HN [1].<p>Re. the orbit, note that this was a test in LEO, at 300 km orbit; all the debris will, in relatively short order, be de-orbited. [2]<p>While I will not indulge in the whataboutism of CN & USA conducting these, one potential strategic reason for India to test was to ensure a their perspective was heard at the (then) upcoming discussions on the "Space Peace Treaty" [3]. It's tempting to say such symbols of act & intent do not matter, but they force others to take you seriously & engage with you. India was excluded from the NSG and many other such programs in the past.<p>FWIW, please do not trivialize the realities & complexities of geopolitics by simplistic moral grand-standing. While undesirable, there were real domestic & international reasons to conduct the test. To treat such a decision as mere posturing, or some sort of crude symbolism, ignores the context within which such decisions are taken, and presumes that the technocrats who took these decisions did so unmindful of the consequences.<p>[1] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19590936" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19590936</a>
[2] <a href="https://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-satellite/india-says-space-debris-from-anti-satellite-test-to-vanish-in-45-days-idINKCN1R91DM" rel="nofollow">https://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-satellite/india-says...</a>
[3] <a href="https://phys.org/news/2019-03-space-peace-treaty-consensus.html" rel="nofollow">https://phys.org/news/2019-03-space-peace-treaty-consensus.h...</a>