BENGALURU: Strengthening your international Space Cooperation Further, the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) signed an agreement focusing on astronaut training, mission execution, and research experiments European Space Agency (ESA).
According to ISRO, this collaboration establishes a comprehensive framework for joint activities. Human space explorationWith special emphasis on astronaut training programs and research initiatives. Under the agreement, the two agencies will work together on experimental development and integration, including access to ESA facilities on the International Space Station (ISS). The partnership includes integrated education and outreach activities, as well as the implementation of human and biological research.
The immediate focus of this collaboration will be the future. Axiom-4 missionwhich will include both an ISRO astronaut and an ESA astronaut as crew members. “The agencies are already working together to implement experiments designed by Indian principal investigators aboard the ISS. Additionally, plans for Indian participation in ESA’s human physiological studies and technology demonstration experiments are underway,” ISRO said.
Somanath highlighted ISRO’s strategic roadmap for human spaceflight activities, noting that India’s recent approval of its space station, Bharatiya Interchange Station (BAS), opens new possibilities for promoting interoperability between human spaceflight platforms. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher emphasized the importance of the agreement as a basis for future cooperation. ISRO added: “…Additionally, ESA’s human physiological studies, technology demonstration experiments, as well as joint educational outreach activities are being participated in.”
Earlier this month, ISRO and ESA signed a Technical Implementing Plan (TIP) to provide ESA with critical ground tracking support for India’s Guggenheim missions. Support through a technical implementing plan will ensure uninterrupted data flow and communication with the orbital module, which is critical for monitoring and conducting orbital operations.
These agreements are not separate but a continuation of the long-standing cooperative relationship between the two space agencies. Both of them have a proven track record of supporting each other in several successful space missions.