NASA Administrator Bill Nelson arrived in India with great enthusiasm for a week of meetings and events aimed at strengthening the partnership between NASA and ISRO. Nelson mentioned that the US and India were planning to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station by the end of next year, while the Indian Space Research, adding that ISRO will launch the state-of-the-art joint venture satellite with NASA — NISAR — in the first quarter of 2024.
“ISRO is also exploring the feasibility of utilising NASA’s Hypervelocity Impact Test (HVIT) facility for testing Gaganyaan module Micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) protection shields,” an official statement from the science and technology ministry said.
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Meanwhile, the NASA administrator met Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh and discussed strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the space sector. The two leaders in the meeting also talked about US President Joe Biden’s offer to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024.
“The selection of astronaut is determined by ISRO. NASA will not make the selection,” said Nelson while interacting with reporters.
Nelson pushed Singh to move up the schedule for the launch of India’s first astronaut to the International Space Station on a NASA rocket.
While responding to a question, Singh said the US would be ready to collaborate with India in building the space station if it so desires.
“We expect by that time to have a commercial space station. I think India wants to have a commercial space station by 2040. If India wants us to collaborate with them, of course, we will be available. But that’s up to India,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked ISRO to aim to build a space station in India by 2035 and to land astronauts on the moon by 2040.
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NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), which was built at a cost of USD 1.5 billion, is intended to be launched onboard India’s GSLV rocket.
Data from NISAR will be highly suitable for studying the land ecosystems, deformation of solid earth, mountain and polar cryosphere, sea ice, and coastal oceans on a regional to global scale.
(With inputs from agency)
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
