Astronauts from India will soon be in space: Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Bill Nelson, has said that the US space agency will improve its relationship with India, citing a “joint effort” including an Indian astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS).
This announcement comes after the iCET Dialogue between Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, which disclosed plans for upgraded training for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronauts in the US.
“Building on my visit to India last year, NASA continues to further the United States and India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology for the benefit of humanity,” stated Nelson, highlighting the expanding collaboration.
“Together we are expanding our countries’ collaboration in space, to include a joint effort aboard the International Space Station with an ISRO astronaut,” Nelson wrote on X on Wednesday.
“While specific details about the mission are still in work, these efforts will support future human spaceflight and improve life here on Earth,” Nelson stated.
The Strategic Framework for Human Spaceflight Cooperation, which Sullivan and Doval unveiled in New Delhi, intends to increase interoperability in space. They talked about the first collaborative mission between NASA and ISRO astronauts at the ISS, which would be a historic first for US-India space collaboration, as well as plans for advanced training for ISRO astronauts at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre.
Two Indian astronauts, one of whom is expected to visit the International Space Station (ISS) later this year, will receive training support from NASA. Prior to now, ISRO Chairperson S Somanath had stated that the organisation intends to choose four astronauts for training.
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, a satellite that will monitor the Earth’s surface twice every 12 days to address climate change and other global concerns, is also being prepared for launch by the two nations.
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