Discussions Between India's Ambassador and US Officials on Space Collaboration
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New York, Dec 19 (NationPress) India’s Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra along with US officials convened at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Centre in Houston to evaluate the ongoing space collaboration between the two nations and discuss the advancement of their partnership.
During their visit on Wednesday, the teams from both countries also had the opportunity to meet Indian Astronauts Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashanth Nair, who are slated to participate in the Axios-4 mission to the International Space Station next year.
Ambassador Kwatra, accompanied by US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, engaged with representatives from NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), according to the State Department.
The discussions also included plans for launching the jointly developed NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Earth Science (NISAR) satellite next year, as stated by the Department.
Representatives from the private sector space industry participated in the discussions to explore ways to enhance cooperation within the commercial space sector, it added.
Kwatra stated on X, 'Had the opportunity to discuss India and US space cooperation including in the human space flight programme and enhancing partnership between the two private sectors in the fields of innovation and technology.
Indian Air Force’s Wing Commander Shukla is set to pilot the mission operated by a private company, Axiom, in collaboration with NASA using rocket and spacecraft from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to reach the ISS.
Nair, who is currently undergoing astronaut training, is on standby for the mission.
The NISAR satellite, expected to launch in March from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, is 'jointly built by ISRO and NASA and aims to enhance our understanding and potentially aid in preparation and recovery from natural and human-induced disasters,' as mentioned by NASA.
This satellite will serve as a robust instrument for studying earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides, as well as assessing infrastructure damage, as it collects data from Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces twice every 12 days, according to NASA.
