Two sides review progress of planned human flight and joint satellite launch in 2025

India and the US look to expand their joint space exploration programme to include the domain of ‘national security’ that can enable the two sides in tackling possible common threats around the world.

Chirag Parikh, Executive Secretary of the US National Space Council, at a media briefing in the US on Wednesday, first narrated about the status of existing collaboration before adding, “and finally, our cooperation will move into other areas, potentially even in the world of the national security, as we work together to combat types of threats manifesting around the world”.

The opportunity between India and the United States literally has no bounds, no limits, and can reach the edge of the universe, Parikh added. Present with him at the media briefing were Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and White House Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer. Earlier, the three of them, along with Indian Ambassador to US Vinay Kwatra, travelled to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

A statement from the White House said they met with representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and space industry leaders to identify new opportunities to further strengthen space partnership. 

United States and India have committed to strengthen space cooperation under the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) launched in July 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden had met in June of 2023, and committed to “reach new frontiers across all sectors of space cooperation”.

Indian and US teams in Houston also reviewed forthcoming joint events in space – collaboration for a human space flight and a specialised joint satellite.

On the ‘human space flight’, the White House said two ISRO astronauts are training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for the first-ever joint effort between American and Indian astronauts at the International Space Station. ‘Axiom Space’ will be the provider of the mission called ‘Axiom-4’ and is planned in spring of 2025.

On the progress towards the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) in early 2025, the White House said, “the NISAR satellite integrates two radars – one from NASA and one from ISRO – which will map the motion of the Earth’s surface twice every 12 days, to predict and respond to hazards, measure and quantify changes to infrastructure and resources”.

White House Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said “advancing the US-India strategic partnership has been an important priority for this administration. Our countries are both making significant advancements in space programs, we’re also increasingly working together to build a cooperative partnership in space”. 

India in June last year signed the Artemis Accords, that is based on the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. The Accords are a set of non-legally binding principles to guide sustainable civil space exploration. 

Finer said, “The US is in the process of finalising a national security memorandum that will update export control policies under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The goal of this is to be able to advance commercial space cooperation even further with close partners like India”.

Parikh added a review of MTCR would generate new opportunities for bilateral industry partnerships on space launch technology, including for commercial satellite launches.

Courtesy: The Tribune India :19th Dec , 2024