In Washington, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti has announced that NASA is set to offer advanced training to Indian astronauts, with plans for a joint mission to the International Space Station either this year or shortly.
Garcetti shared these comments during his address at the US-India Commercial Space Conference: Enabling Opportunities for US & Indian Space Startups, organized by the US-India Business Council and the US Commercial Service in Bengaluru. He said, “NASA will soon provide advanced training to Indian astronauts, to mount a joint effort to the International Space Station, hopefully, this year or shortly thereafter, which was one of the promises of our leaders’ visit together.”
According to a USIBC press statement issued Garcetti said, “And soon we will launch the NISAR satellite from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Center to monitor all resources, including ecosystems, the Earth’s surface, natural hazards, sea level rise, and the cryosphere.”
NISAR stands for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, a joint mission for Earth observation between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization.
The Bengaluru event included senior officials from the US and Indian governments, Garcetti, ISRO Chairman Dr. S Somanath, representatives from NASA, NOAA, and the Indian government, along with leaders from the commercial space industry, venture capitalists, and market analysts.
Somnath said, “I must salute the visionary leadership that we have in both nations in India and the US for engaging in such an accord which looks at the moon as a sustainable place for all of us to come and work together.”
Atul Keshap, President of USIBC, expressed positivity regarding the potential of collaboration between the US and India in space, considering it a fresh phase in their partnership. He highlighted the productive week where USIBC and USCS collaborated to support two significant space initiatives, referring to them as iCET space deliverables.
Alexander Slater, the managing director of USIBC, emphasized the significance of nurturing strategic alliances to fuel innovation and advance the space sector during the US-India Commercial Space Conference.
Vipin Narang from the US and Vishwesh Negi from India, respectively leading their teams, met to discuss enhancing space cooperation and exploring collaboration opportunities with the US industry during the recent Dialogue.