Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India and France are expanding cooperation in the space sector, with companies from the two countries signing three new agreements on satellite launches, space surveillance and microsatellite technology. The deals were announced at the International Space Summit in Paris.
The agreements add to a space partnership that has developed over more than five decades, centred on cooperation between the Indian Space Research Organisation and France’s space agency CNES. They also reflect the growing role of private companies in the India-France space relationship.
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France’s Safran Space signed contracts worth more than 5 million euros with Indian space company Dhruva Space to provide communication systems, inertial navigation units, optical payloads and ground stations for India’s planned SBS-III space-surveillance constellation. According to the announcement, the constellation is expected to deploy 52 satellites between 2027 and 2030. The partnership is aimed at supporting India’s sovereign space capabilities and expands cooperation between French industry and India’s New Space sector. The deal also builds on Safran’s long-standing role in India’s space programme, including its contribution to the Chandrayaan-III lunar mission and the expansion of its industrial presence in the country.
In another agreement, French launch-services provider RIDE! signed a deal to launch two satellites for TakeMeToSpace, an Indian company described as the country’s first designer of orbital data centres. According to the summit announcements, the deal builds on several years of cooperation between RIDE! and Indian space companies, including the recent integration, launch and return of a European atmospheric re-entry capsule aboard India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
Separately, French space company U-Space and Indian firm AXISCADES signed a commercial cooperation agreement to explore India’s microsatellite market and meet growing commercial and institutional demand. The partnership will follow a phased roadmap under India’s Make in India policy, combining French space technology with India’s industrial integration capabilities.
The first edition of the International Space Summit is being held from September 9 to 10 and has brought together governments, companies, space agencies and scientists. The summit featured 51 announcements representing about 20 billion euros in contracts, investments and other commitments.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India-France cooperation in space has grown over the years to include Earth observation, space geodesy, human spaceflight, next-generation launch-vehicle technologies and planetary exploration. The two countries have also set up a Strategic Space Dialogue covering civil and defence space cooperation, with the first meeting held in Paris in June 2023 and the second in New Delhi in March 2024. ISRO and CNES have signed agreements on future launch-vehicle technologies, the joint TRISHNA Earth-observation mission, maritime domain awareness and space situational awareness.
Indian and French launch-service companies have also worked together for several years. India’s PSLV has commercially launched French satellites, while France’s Arianespace has provided launch services for Indian geostationary satellites. During French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India in February, the two sides also backed cooperation in civil satellite development and human spaceflight programmes.
With the three latest commercial agreements, India and France have added a new layer to their long-running space partnership, extending cooperation further into private-sector technology, manufacturing and commercial space activities.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
