India and the United States are preparing to launch a collaborative satellite, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), in the initial quarter of the forthcoming year, announced Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh. He conveyed this news following a meeting with a distinguished NASA delegation headed by Administrator Mr. Bill Nelson in New Delhi today. The deployment of NISAR is scheduled to take place via India’s GSLV. This joint satellite venture aims to provide valuable data for comprehensive observation of Earth, particularly in assessing land ecosystems, monitoring solid earth deformations, scrutinizing mountainous and polar regions, observing sea ice, and studying coastal oceans on both regional and global scales.
The integration of ISRO’s S-band SAR with NASA’s L-band SAR occurred at JPL/NASA, and the combined L & S band SAR is presently undergoing rigorous testing alongside the satellite at URSC, Bangalore, with active involvement from NASA/JPL officials. Commending Dr. Jitendra Singh for the historic Chandrayaan-3 mission’s successful landing in the unexplored South Polar region of the Moon, Mr. Nelson urged the acceleration of India’s first astronaut program, which involves sending an Indian astronaut aboard a NASA rocket to the International Space Station (ISS). During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier visit to the US this year, both nations agreed to collaborate on a two-week joint India-US Space flight set for the upcoming year. Moreover, NASA is scouting opportunities for Indian astronauts to participate in the Private Astronaut Mission scheduled for 2024.
ISRO and NASA have established a Joint Working Group (JWG) focused on cooperation in human spaceflight endeavors. They are exploring various areas of collaboration, including studies on radiation impact, research on micro meteorites & orbital debris shield, as well as aspects related to space health and medicine. The 8th meeting of the India-USA Joint Working Group on Civil Space Cooperation (CSJWG) took place in Washington DC in January 2023.
ISRO/DoS is engaged in discussions with prominent US industries such as Boeing, Blue Origin, and Voyager, exploring specific avenues for collaboration. They are also considering joint ventures with Indian commercial entities.
The Indian side disclosed that a concept paper for the Implementing Arrangement (IA) between ISRO and NASA is currently under review. After multiple iterations, both parties have agreed upon a draft that is currently in the process of obtaining intra-governmental approvals. Additionally, ISRO is exploring the possibility of utilizing NASA’s Hypervelocity Impact Test (HVIT) facility to test the Gaganyaan module’s protection shields against micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD).
Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted India’s burgeoning space sector startups, attributing their growth to the reforms initiated by PM Modi in the space sector. Within just about four years, the number of space startups has surged from a handful to over 150, with some of the early startups transitioning into profitable ventures. Mr. Nelson, himself an astronaut who flew aboard the ‘Columbia’ on the 24th Space Shuttle flight in 1986, commended ISRO for successfully launching 231 satellites from the US using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
Mr. Nelson expressed anticipation for his meeting with India’s cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma scheduled in Bengaluru tomorrow. The US Ambassador to India, Mr. Eric Garcetti, was also in attendance during the meeting.