India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made history by becoming the fourth spacecraft to make it into the exclusive lunar-landing club and by softly falling onto the lunar surface near to the South Pole. This accomplishment, which has received widespread acclaim, highlights the growing importance of developing nations in the space industry.
This is congruent with the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) efforts to further cooperation with foreign space agencies by conducting joint missions, exchanging knowledge of space technology applications, organizing international events in India, etc. The ISRO has been on the lead of these endeavours placing the nation into the moonwalkers’ club. Till date, India has signed space cooperation agreements with 60 countries' agencies as well as five international organizations. Starting with the recent space exploration cooperation India has inked a deal with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Joining the Artemis Mission with NASA
On June 21, 2023, India signed the Artemis Accords as the 27th country. On June 21, India officially accepted the Artemis Accords in a ceremony in Washington. The commitment to transparent and sustainable space activity as specified by the Accords' non-binding principles was demonstrated by this signing of the Artemis Accords. India would be able to work with NASA to harness technologies for the next-generation space program. This could lead India being able to support important initiatives like the Artemis Return to the Moon mission.
Although only the US, Russia, and China's space programs are considered to be more advanced than India's, the US space program's greater space collaboration could provide its space missions more depth. The Accords makes it possible for the US and India to work together on a number of space cooperation projects, including an Indian astronaut visit to the International Space Station.
Additionally, the US-Indian cooperation in space will pave the way for the development of international alliances for ongoing US space initiatives, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's Artemis missions, and the Department of Commerce's Space Traffic Coordination System.
As a result, the Accords would include the crucial requirement of interoperability, enabling India to create and support systems that can cooperate with already-existing infrastructure for a variety of tasks. The space community is hoping that India would support sustainable space exploration efforts as it ratifies the Artemis Accords.
Still in Talks with Kenya
Hon. Aden Duale, the Cabinet Secretary for Defense for Kenya, has declared that bilateral talks between Kenya and India are currently taking on to look into potential opportunities for space cooperation. He also expressed confidence in the enormous potential for collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Kenya Space Agency (KSA).
This partnership is anticipated to include a range of topics, including satellite technology, remote sensing, space exploration, and research. By combining their respective advantages and strengths, both nations might make tremendous strides in space research and technology. Additionally, through space-related activities, our alliance aims to advance scientific understanding, strengthen national defense capabilities, and promote economic development. Specific areas of collaboration and cooperative projects are anticipated to be established as negotiations move forward. The collaboration between Kenya and India in the field of space is evidence of the increasing significance of space research and use on a global basis.
The Next Moon Mission with Japan
The ISRO and its Japanese counterpart are collaborating on a project that will likely be the next Moon mission, and it is gaining momentum. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Indian Space Agency are working together on the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX). The rover and lander are being developed by JAXA and ISRO, respectively. Along with instrumentation from ISRO and JAXA, the rover will also have equipment from NASA and the European Space Agency. Saku Tsuneta, the director general of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and vice-chair of the Japanese Cabinet Committee on National Space Policy, visited the ISRO headquarters in the city and met with the agency's leader, Somanath S. They talked about the LUPEX mission's development.
The LUPEX mission, according to JAXA, aims to explore whether the lunar polar region is suitable for establishing a base on the Moon for sustainable activities; learn about the availability of lunar water-ice resources; and demonstrate lunar and planetary surface exploration technologies like vehicular transport and overnight survival. The Department of Space's Physical Research Laboratory, based in Ahmedabad, has suggested a number of instruments for the LUPEX mission, primarily to conduct studies on the surface and subsurface close to the permanently shadowed pole area of the Moon.
Addressing Current Issues with France
India and France decided to work together in 2022 to secure space and address the issues that have emerged in the industry. This agreement was an outcome of the two countries' long-standing cooperation in space. The two countries also decided to increase their efforts to strengthen public-private partnerships and catalyze the startup ecosystem across the two countries. France joined this arrangement to support Gaganyaan, India's first human spaceflight mission. The French space agency CNES has been supplying medical personnel, mission control teams, scientific research, and exchanging dietary and dietary information.
India and France worked together in the space industry for the first time many years ago. The Viking engine, which later served as a model for India's Vikas engine, was developed by ISRO and CNES in the 1970s. Additionally, the two nations have collaborated on the development of satellites including Megha-Tropiques and SARAL (Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA). Both nations could utilize their unique advantages in space and pool their workforces to launch successful missions in the future. This can promote innovation, improve climate change, disaster preparedness, and border security.
Peaceful Space Exploration with Russia
The agreement between the ISRO Chairman Gopalan Madhavan Nair and Anatoly Perminov of the Russian Federal Space Agency also outlines cooperation in space exploration programs. Both countries committed to researching the potential for mutually advantageous cooperation in the creation of launch vehicles and the peaceful use of space, including planetary exploration, in 2021. The two nations inked an agreement on technology protection to allow future space cooperation. This cooperation includes research, the peaceful use of space, the construction and operation of launch vehicles, and ground-based space infrastructure.