By R. Anil Kumar
Bengaluru, January 14. Distinguished visitors from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) were welcomed to ESA’s ESOC mission control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, to celebrate ESA’s support to ISRO’s Aditya-L1 and Chandrayaan-3 missions and to discuss expanding the scope of the organisations’ cooperation.
Ms Nigar Shaji (Project Director of Aditya-L1, URSC), Mr. Veeramuthuvel Palanivel (Project Director of Chandrayaan-3, URSC) and Mr. Raghavendra M. R. (Deputy Director, Ground Stations Network Area, ISTRAC) handed out certificates to the ESA teams that provided support to both missions during critical phases and who continue to support Aditya-L1.
Simon Plum (Head of ESA Mission Operations), Holger Krag (Head of the ESA Space Safety Programme) and Ramesh Chellathurai (ESA Service Manager for Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 missions) welcomed the ISRO team on behalf of ESA and presented aletter of appreciation.
Looking to the future, ESA and ISRO teams discussed the possibilities for collaboration on projects such as:
- ESA’s Proba-3 mission, which is due to launch from India later this year in September.
- ESA ground station support for ISRO’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme
- ESA ground station support for ISRO’s future Lunar and Mars missions
- ISRO participation in ESA’s Moonlight initiative for lunar communications
Esa Team visit to DOS Centres in India:
A year ago, (During March 27-31, 2023) a delegation from the European Space Agency (ESA) led by Mr. Eric Morel, Director of European Legal and International Matters, visited ISRO: DOS Centres in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru during March 27-31, 2023. After visiting SAC, PRL, URSC, HFSC, ISTRAC and NSIL, the delegation had a concluding meeting at ISRO Headquarters on March 31, 2023, with S. Somanath, Chairman, ISRO/ Secretary, DOS, and other senior ISRO officials.
The meeting deliberated collaborative opportunities in Earth Observation, Science Programs, Navigation, Human Space Flight, Operations, and Technology. Opportunities emerging from the opening up of Space sector reforms in India were also discussed. ESA had expressed willingness to work with the Indian space ecosystem, including Industry and Academia by sharing technical expertise, data, and tools. ISRO offered to explore ride-sharing for ESA’s Science missions on Indian launch vehicles and experiments in PSLV Orbital Experimental Module. Both agencies agreed to work for the exchange of experts and carry out joint activities involving Indian and European industries.
Benefits of ISRO-ESA Collaboration:
ESA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will exchange navigation, operations and data handling support on selected future space missions.
Upcoming ISRO human spaceflight, lunar exploration and solar research missions could be among the first supported under the new arrangement.
Over the decades, national and international space agencies have built up vast banks of knowledge and experience exploring our Solar System. Through sharing resources – physical infrastructure on the ground, lessons from past successes and failures, and ideas for the future – we reach further, bringing home more from space, for less.
ESA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have signed a cross-support arrangement for the exchange of support and expertise that will ensure both agencies can get information to and from their spacecraft when they need to most – especially during mission-critical moments like the hours after launch or during a landing.
ISRO & ESA’s Proba 3 Mission
India will launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) pioneering Proba-3 mission in September 2024.The launch vehicle of choice for this mission is the reliable PSLV-XL rocket, operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The collaboration between ESA and ISRO exemplifies the growing trend of international partnerships in space endeavours, pooling resources and expertise to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
