Today, Saturday, May 25, the United States (US) Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, visited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru, as both countries continue to enhance cooperation in the field of space. This was stated in a report by IANS. 

During his meeting with ISRO Chairman S Somanath, the US Ambassador expressed his admiration for the organisation’s accomplishments and its role in global space exploration.

“The discussions highlighted both countries’ mutual interests and shared goals in advancing space science, technology, and the space economy. Ongoing associations through various Joint Working Groups, Artemis Accord, NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), and the use of the Laser Reflectometer Array on Chandrayaan-3 were also discussed,” ISRO said in a statement after the meeting.

Under iCET, the two countries have unveiled a roadmap for increased collaboration in high-technology fields. The initiative focuses on addressing regulatory barriers, aligning export controls, and encouraging deeper cooperation in crucial and emerging fields.

Future programmes, including the exchange visits of professionals from both sides, the continuation of balloon experiments, and identifying milestone events, were also discussed as ISRO emphasised the need to address access to critical components and items to expedite collaborative missions.

“The US Ambassador has also proposed a QUAD satellite. Chairman, ISRO pointed out the opportunity to develop advanced detectors and packaging technologies with US-India academic institutions. He emphasised building and standardising docking interfaces across human space programmes to enable the utilisation of space platforms by other countries and joining hands to build a navigation system on the moon, either in orbit or on the surface,” said ISRO.