NASA to train, send Indian astronauts to the ISS by 2024: US Ambassador Eric Garcetti

The United States of America (USA) on May 24, 2024, announced that its National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA) is set to provide advanced training to Indian astronauts to send a joint mission to thr International Space Station (ISS) this year.

The US envoy to India, Eric Garcetti speaking at the US-India commercial space conference, said “NASA will soon provide advanced training to Indian astronauts with a goal of mounting joint effort to the ISS, hopefully this year or shortly thereafter which was one of the promises of the leaders visit together.”

“And soon we will launch the NISAR satellite from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) to monitor all our resources including ecosystems, earth surface natural hazards, sea-level rise and the cryosphere Garcetti said,” according to USIBC statement. NISAR is a joint earth observing mission between NASA and ISRO.

“You see whether it is the pursuit of peace and the peaceful use of space, things like the Artemis Accord we are hand in hand arm in arm. When it comes to prosperity, and jobs which is a big part of this conference today, it can be produced by startups in this sector, good paying high-tech jobs for Indians and Americans. Space is right there,” he said.

The long day event in Bengaluru featured participation from senior officials from both the US and Indian governments including Garcetti and ISRO Chairman S Somanath. Representatives from NASA, NOAA, the government of India prominent leaders from the commercial space industry, industry stake holders, venture capitalists and market analysts also attended.

“I must salute this visionary leadership that we have in both nations like India and the US for engaging in such an accord which looks at the moon as sustainable place for all of us to come and work together,” Somanath said in his remarks.

The connection between Indian partners and the US partners in critical technologies and space sector is really becoming stronger. And I am very happy about the type of engagement and the options available to the industries and the US business indigenous to connect with India in the emerging space sector as well.  Expressing the optimism about the Indo-US Space collaboration USIBC President Atul Keshap described it as it as a new chapter in the partnership and said that this week has been particularly fruitful, with USIBC and USCS joining forces to champion these two iCET space deliverables.

“The conference highlights the deepening synergy between our two free nations in pioneering space exploration and innovation by the leading democracies. Through strategic alliances and collaborative efforts, we’re on the brink of achieving extraordinary milestones and expanding the horizons of space exploration beyond what we once imagined,” Keshap said.

The US-India Commercial Space Conference underscores the importance of fostering strategic partnerships to drive innovation and propel the space industry forward,” said USIBC managing director Alexander Slater. “This is the next step in USIBC’s continued commitment to fostering bilateral cooperation among leading companies and startups from both countries to unlock new opportunities for economic growth, job creation and technological leadership.

It builds on our work in February when we hosted the second edition of INDUS-X in New Delhi, which promoted similar opportunities for innovation and cooperation in new and emerging defence technologies,” he said. Meanwhile, senior defence officials from India and the US met in Washington for the second annual US-India Advanced Domains Defence Dialogue (AD3) to explore opportunities for strengthening space cooperation and collaboration with the American industry.

The American delegation was led by Vipin Narang, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for Space Policy, while the Indian delegation was headed by Vishwesh Negi, Joint Secretary for International Cooperation. During the dialogue, they discussed various areas of bilateral cooperation and potential collaboration with US industry, according to Department of defence spokesperson Commander Jessica Anderson.

Narang and Negi co-chaired the first principal-level tabletop discussion between the US and India, focusing on enhancing cooperation in the space domain. They agreed to advance AD3 through regular working group meetings. Additionally, the Indian delegation engaged with the US Space Command, the Joint Commercial Operations Cell, and AI experts from the US Department of defence, Anderson said.