The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has entered into an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) to collaborate on activities pertaining to astronaut training, mission implementation, and research experiments.
The agreement was signed by Isro Chairman S. Somanath, who is also Secretary, Department of Space (DoS), and Dr Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA.
The agreement outlines a collaborative framework between ISRO and ESA in human space exploration and research, focusing on astronaut training, support for experiment development and integration (including the use of ESA facilities on the International Space Station), human and biomedical research experiments, as well as joint educational and outreach initiatives.
For the Axiom-4 mission, where Gaganyatri and an ESA astronaut will be part of the crew, ISRO and ESA are working together to implement experiments proposed by Indian Principal Investigators for the International Space Station.
ISRO has indicated that it is actively working towards participating in ESA’s initiatives, including human physiological studies, technology demonstration experiments, and collaborative educational outreach activities.”
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Emphasizing ISRO’s roadmap for human spaceflight activities, chairman S. Somanath noted that the recent approval of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) offers a valuable opportunity to develop interoperability between human spaceflight platforms.
Dr Aschbacher said, “The agreement serves as a strong foundation for cooperation between the two agencies.”
