NEW DELHI: To boost space diplomacy, India and Saudi Arabia have held discussions on initiating cooperation in space science and technology, and explored the possibility of a space pact. Also, New Delhi has given a boost to space ties with Quad countries — the US, Japan and Australia — in the last few weeks.
Isro had held separate meetings or talks with Japanese space agency JAXA, Nasa and Australian Space Agency (ASA) recently to give push to several key programmes like joint lunar mission, earth imaging satellite programme (NISAR), navigation satellite and establishing a transportable terminal in Australia to help the Gaganyaan mission.
On Wednesday, Isro chairman K Sivan and president of board of directors of the Saudi Space Commission, Prince Sultan bin Salman, led the space meeting on virtual mode. “Both had discussions on initiating space cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The possibility of concluding a country-level MoU for space cooperation was also discussed,” an Isro statement said. In December last, India’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed had held talks with Prince Sultan bin Salman in Riyadh to boost cooperation in remote sensing, satellite communication and satellite-based navigation projects.
On March 11, Isro and JAXA agreed on collaborative activities for rice crop area and air quality monitoring using satellite data during a meeting between the Isro chief and JAXA president Hiroshi Yamakawa. The two agencies reviewed ongoing programmes in earth observation, lunar cooperation and satellite navigation, and also agreed to explore opportunities for cooperation in space situational awareness and professional exchange programme. Both space agencies are specifically working on sharing earth observation data and establishing Isro’s NavIC (India’s constellation of eight navigation satellites in space) reference station in Japan.
Isro had on March 8 flagged off a key component of the joint Isro-Nasa SAR (NISAR) mission to the US to fast-track the earth imaging satellite project, which will help measure dynamic changes on the earth’s surface, natural resources and hazards. Isro had shipped the S-band synthetic aperture radar to Nasa’s JPL in California so that it could integrate it with its L-band radar and sent the module back to India for its launch, which is likely in 2023. Both agencies are also working for an implementing arrangement to carry Nasa’s Laser Reflectometer Array (LRA) in Chandrayaan-3 mission and exploring collaboration in the human spaceflight programme.
On February 17, Isro and ASA signed an amendment of the ‘2012 India – Australia Inter-Governmental MoU for cooperation in Civil Space Science, Technology and Education’ in the presence of envoys from both countries. The amendment makes the Department of Space and ASA as executive organisations. Both sides also reviewed the status of activities in earth observation, satellite navigation, space situational awareness and establishment of the transportable terminal in Australia to support India’s first manned mission (Gaganyaan) to space.