India and US Plan Joint Human Space Flight to International Space Station

India and US Plan Joint Human Space Flight to International Space Station.

Talks Underway for Strategic Framework by Year-End

India and the United States have initiated discussions to establish a strategic framework for human space flight, with plans to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024. The two nations are working on modalities, capacity building, and training for this historic joint mission.

Biden’s Congratulations and Collaboration

US President Joe Biden congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India’s successful Chandrayaan-3 Moon landing at the South polar region and the triumph of the Aditya-L1 solar mission. During Modi’s visit to the US earlier this year, Biden had announced the collaboration for sending an astronaut to the ISS in 2024.

Enhancing Planetary Defense

Both countries intend to increase coordination in planetary defense efforts to protect Earth and space assets from asteroids and near-Earth objects. This collaboration includes US support for India’s participation in asteroid detection and tracking via the Minor Planet Center.

Expanding Space Cooperation

India and the US are committed to broadening their cooperation in space exploration. They are also working towards the establishment of a Working Group for commercial space collaboration within the existing India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group.

Quantum Domain and Technology

The US reiterated its commitment to work with India in the quantum domain, fostering bilateral collaboration and utilizing the Quantum Entanglement Exchange platform for international quantum exchange opportunities. They recognized the inclusion of India’s S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences in the Quantum Economic Development Consortium.

Telecommunications and Digital Inclusion

Both leaders share a vision of secure telecommunications, resilient supply chains, and global digital inclusion. They welcomed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Bharat 6G Alliance and Next G Alliance to deepen cooperation between vendors and operators.

5G and Open RAN Pilot

Joint Task Forces have been established to facilitate collaboration in Open RAN and research and development in 5G/6G technologies. A 5G Open RAN pilot in a leading Indian telecom operator will be conducted by a US Open RAN manufacturer before field deployment.

Academic and Industrial Collaboration

The US National Science Foundation (NSF) and India’s Department of Biotechnology signed an Implementation Arrangement to enable research collaborations in biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovations. Proposals were released to foster academic and industrial collaboration in various areas, including semiconductor research, cybersecurity, sustainability, and intelligent transportation systems.

Promoting Technology Sharing

Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to building resilient technology value chains and fostering technology sharing, co-development, and co-production opportunities. They also welcomed continued engagement through an inter-agency monitoring mechanism under the bilateral Strategic Trade Dialogue.

India-US Global Challenges Institute

An MoU between Indian universities represented by the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Council) and the Association of American Universities (AAU) was signed to establish the India-US Global Challenges Institute with an initial commitment of at least USD 10 million. This institute will advance collaborative research in various fields, including sustainable energy, health, semiconductor technology, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and quantum science.