NASA chief hails India as ‘great future partner’ and discusses Space collaboration
India and the united states held talks on deepening space collaboration, with a focus on the proposed role of an indian astronaut who will be trained by nasa and will fly to the international Space Station (ISS) next year, nasa administrator Bill Nelson said on Tuesday.
The nasa administrator also praised india as a "great future partner for astronauts in space" and stated that the two countries will launch a low-Earth orbit observatory from india in early 2024. On Tuesday, a nasa team led by Nelson met with Jitendra Singh, minister of State for Science and Technology.
"I spoke with the minister about what the indian astronaut would do on the space station." And the two of us discussed how things vital to india in scientific research should be available to indian astronauts as an option. If he or she is interested in a certain aspect of study, I want to support it," Nelson subsequently stated during a media engagement.
"NASA will assist in training the indian astronaut to fly to the international Space Station by the end of 2024." Those particulars are being worked out. "The indian space research organisation (Isro) will make an announcement," Nelson stated.
The nasa head ordered Singh to speed up the project for deploying India's first astronaut aboard a nasa rocket to the international Space Station, according to a statement from the indian space agency.
Gaganyaan, India's first crewed spaceflight, is also set to launch next year, ushering in a new age of space exploration.
Isro's Gaganyaan project envisions demonstrating human spaceflight capabilities by sending a crew of three astronauts into a 400-kilometer orbit for a three-day trip and successfully returning them to Earth by landing in waters near to India.
The nasa administrator also praised india as a "great future partner for astronauts in space" and stated that the two countries will launch a low-Earth orbit observatory from india in early 2024. On Tuesday, a nasa team led by Nelson met with Jitendra Singh, minister of State for Science and Technology.
"I spoke with the minister about what the indian astronaut would do on the space station." And the two of us discussed how things vital to india in scientific research should be available to indian astronauts as an option. If he or she is interested in a certain aspect of study, I want to support it," Nelson subsequently stated during a media engagement.
"NASA will assist in training the indian astronaut to fly to the international Space Station by the end of 2024." Those particulars are being worked out. "The indian space research organisation (Isro) will make an announcement," Nelson stated.
The nasa head ordered Singh to speed up the project for deploying India's first astronaut aboard a nasa rocket to the international Space Station, according to a statement from the indian space agency.
Gaganyaan, India's first crewed spaceflight, is also set to launch next year, ushering in a new age of space exploration.
Isro's Gaganyaan project envisions demonstrating human spaceflight capabilities by sending a crew of three astronauts into a 400-kilometer orbit for a three-day trip and successfully returning them to Earth by landing in waters near to India.
The astronauts are hand-picked fighter pilots from the indian Air Force who have completed Russian training.
The Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) observatory will also be launched in the first quarter of 2024, according to Nelson. In mid-November, NISAR completed a critical trial at Isro's tiny antenna test facility.
"In the first quarter of 2024, india will launch a very expensive spacecraft, NISAR, as part of what we call our great observatories in a joint venture." And the combination of these four or five observatories that will be installed, as well as all of our 25 satellites gazing at the Earth...the combination of all that information...is assisting us in accurately determining what is happening to the Earth and its climate," Nelson added.
The Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) observatory will also be launched in the first quarter of 2024, according to Nelson. In mid-November, NISAR completed a critical trial at Isro's tiny antenna test facility.
"In the first quarter of 2024, india will launch a very expensive spacecraft, NISAR, as part of what we call our great observatories in a joint venture." And the combination of these four or five observatories that will be installed, as well as all of our 25 satellites gazing at the Earth...the combination of all that information...is assisting us in accurately determining what is happening to the Earth and its climate," Nelson added.