India has taken a "big leap forward" in space cooperation, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India has taken a big leap forward in space cooperation after it joined the Artemis Accords which advance a common vision of space exploration for the benefit of all humankind news agency PTI reportedGrounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 OST the Artemis Accords are a nonbinding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century It is an Americanled effort to return humans to the moon by 2025 with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyondOn Thursday India decided to join the Artemis AccordsBy taking the decision to join the Artemis Accords we have taken a big leap forward in our space cooperation In fact in short for India and America partnership even the sky is not the limit Prime Minister Modi told reporters at a news conference here at the White House with President Joe BidenIn a fact sheet the White House said India has signed the Artemis Accords which advance a common vision of space exploration for the benefit of all humankindIndia joins 26 other countries committed to peaceful sustainable and transparent cooperation that will enable exploration of the Moon Mars and beyondAccording to a joint statement issued after the meetings at the White House Biden and Modi set a course to reach new frontiers across all sectors of space cooperation The leaders applauded our growing cooperation on earth and space science and space technologies They welcomed the decision of NASA and ISRO to develop a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of 2023 it saidThe two leaders hailed the announcement by NASA to provide advanced training to Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024 The leaders celebrated the delivery of the NASAISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar NISAR satellite to ISROs UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru and looked forward to NISARs 2024 launch from IndiaWelcoming Indias Space Policy 2023 the leaders called for enhanced commercial collaboration between the US and Indian private sectors in the entire value chain of the space economy and to address export controls and facilitate technology transfer it saidBiden deeply appreciated Indias signing of the Artemis Accords which advance a common vision of space exploration for the benefit of all humankind it said The White House said NASA will provide advanced training to Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO astronauts with the goal of launching a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024Additionally NASA and the ISRO are developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of 2023 it said India approved a USD 318 million investment to construct a Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory in Indiaiquestthat will work in tandem with similar facilities in the United States Europe and Japan to look for ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves that provide insights into the physical origins of the universeScientific payloads for the NASAISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar NISAR have been delivered to India and will be launched in 2024 and will measure Earths changing ecosystems like natural hazards and sea level riseThe US Geological Survey and ISRO are negotiating expanded bilateral data exchange that will enable greater insight about the earth including for a range of applications such as climate resiliency sustainable development and management of natural resources and disaster management support it saidWith inputs from PTI