NASA to train Indian Astronauts with “Advanced Training” for Joint Mission: US Envoy

Washington/ Bengaluru, May 25. NASA will soon provide advanced training to Indian astronauts to send a joint mission to the International Space Station this year or shortly thereafter, US envoy to India Eric Garcetti has said.

Eric Garcetti made these remarks while speaking at the “US-India Commercial Space Conference “Unlocking Opportunities for US & Indian Space Startups,” hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) and the US Commercial Service (USCS) in Bengaluru.

“NASA will soon provide advanced training to Indian astronauts, with the goal of mounting 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,” Garcetti said.

“And soon we will launch the NISAR satellite from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre to monitor all resources, including ecosystems, the Earth’s surface, natural hazards, sea level rise, and the cryosphere,” Garcetti said, according to a USIBC press statement issued here.

NISAR is a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

“You see whether it’s the pursuit of peace and the peaceful use of space, things like the Artemis Accord, we are hand in hand, arm in arm. When it comes to prosperity and jobs, which is a big part of this conference today, it can be produced by startups in this sector, good-paying, high-tech jobs for Indians and for Americans. Space is right there,” Garcetti said.

The Artemis Accords lay out a framework for collaborating nations’ safe exploration of the moon and beyond.

The day-long event in Bengaluru saw the participation from senior officials from both the US and Indian governments, including Garcetti, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Dr. S Somanath, representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Government of India, as well as prominent leaders from the commercial space industry, industry stakeholders, venture capitalists, and market analysts.

“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,” Somnath said in his remarks.

“The connection between the Indian partners and also the US partners in critical technologies and specifically in the space sector is really becoming stronger. And I’m very happy about that type of engagement and the options available to the industries and the US business indigenous to connect with India in the emerging space sector as well,” he said.

Expressing optimism about the prospects of US-India collaboration in space, USIBC President Atul Keshap described it as a new chapter in the US-India space partnership. This week has been particularly fruitful, with USIBC and USCS joining forces to champion these two iCET space deliverables, he said.

“The conference highlights the deepening synergy between our two free nations in pioneering space exploration and innovation by the leading democracies. Through strategic alliances and collaborative efforts, we’re on the brink of achieving extraordinary milestones and expanding the horizons of space exploration beyond what we once imagined,” Keshap said.

The US-India Commercial Space Conference underscores the importance of fostering strategic partnerships to drive innovation and propel the space industry forward,” said USIBC managing director Alexander Slater.

“This is the next step in USIBC’s continued commitment to fostering bilateral cooperation among leading companies and startups from both countries to unlock new opportunities for economic growth, job creation and technological leadership.

It builds on our work in February when we hosted the second edition of INDUS-X in New Delhi, which promoted similar opportunities for innovation and cooperation in new and emerging defence technologies,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior defence officials from India and the US have met in Washington to discuss opportunities to strengthen space cooperation and identified potential areas for collaboration with the American industry.

Meeting for the second annual US-India Advanced Domains Defence Dialogue (AD3), the officials discussed a wide range of bilateral cooperation.

The American team was led by Vipin Narang, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for Space Policy, and the visiting Indian delegation was led by Vishwesh Negi, India’s Joint Secretary for International Cooperation.

During this year’s Dialogue, Narang and Negi discussed opportunities to strengthen space cooperation and identified potential areas for collaboration with US industry, said Department of Defence Spokesperson Cmdr. Jessica Anderson.

Among a group of US and Indian defence officials, the two co-chaired the first US-India principal-level tabletop discussion that explored areas to enhance cooperation in the space domain.

They agreed to advance AD3 through regular working group discussions.

The visiting Indian Government delegation also engaged with the US Space Command, the Joint Commercial Operations Cell, and artificial intelligence experts from across the US Department of Defence, Anderson said.

“The connection between the Indian partners and also the US partners in critical technologies and specifically in the space sector is really becoming stronger. And I’m very happy about that type of engagement and the options available to the industries and the US business indigenous to connect with India in the emerging space sector as well,” he said.

“The conference highlights the deepening synergy between our two free nations in pioneering space exploration and innovation by the leading democracies.

US ambassador, ISRO chief hold talks on space cooperation

Meanwhile, US ambassador, ISRO chief hold talks on space cooperation Garcetti met ISRO Chairman S Somanath and discussed the ongoing cooperation between India and the United States in the field of space.

NASA’s participation in India’s proposal for a G-20 satellite for environment and climate change was among the discussion points during a visit by the US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti to the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru.

An advanced imaging spectrometer satellite as a follow-up mission for the NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), encouragement of cooperation between commercial companies from both countries,and the potential of the Gaganyaan cargo module in transferring cargo to the International Space Station featured in the discussions. The US Ambassador also proposed a QUAD satellite, ISRO said.

Somanath underlined collaborative efforts to build a navigation system on the moon, either in orbit or on the surface.

Future programmes, including exchange visits of professionals and ISRO’s plans to source payloads and satellites from Indian companies and enable them to enter the global market, were discussed during the visit.

The ISRO chairman noted that for the first time, payload technology and space-bound hardware were being built in Indian facilities outside of ISRO labs.

Consulate in Bengaluru

Speaking at the US-India Commercial Space Cooperation Conference, Garcetti said efforts were on to open the proposed US Consulate in Bengaluru.

He noted that sometimes, it takes five to 10 years to open consulates, but work was progressing toward establishing one in the city in the coming year.

The announcement of two new US consulates, in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, were made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in June 2023.