Isro, European Space Agency sign agreement for advancing human spaceflight

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed an agreement to collaborate on activities related to astronaut training, mission implementation, and research experiments.

The agreement was signed by Isro Chairman S. Somanath, who is also Secretary, Department of Space (DoS), and Dr Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA.

According to Isro, the agreement establishes a framework for cooperative activities in human space exploration and research, focusing on astronaut training, support for experiment development and integration (including the use of ESA facilities on the International Space Station), human and biomedical research experiments, as well as joint educational and outreach initiatives.

For the upcoming Axiom-4 mission, where Isro's Gaganyatri and an ESA astronaut will be part of the crew, the two agencies are collaborating to implement experiments proposed by Indian Principal Investigators for the ISS. Isro stated that efforts are also underway to participate in ESA's human physiological studies, technology demonstration experiments, and joint educational outreach activities.

In his remarks, S. Somanath emphasised Isro's roadmap for human spaceflight activities and noted that the recent approval of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) offers a valuable opportunity to develop interoperability between human spaceflight platforms. Dr Aschbacher expressed his gratitude to Dr Somanath for addressing the ESA Council and highlighted that the agreement serves as a strong foundation for cooperation between the two agencies.

The leadership of both organisations expressed satisfaction with the progress of joint activities for the Axiom-4 mission and stressed the importance of continuing collaborative efforts in human spaceflight in the future, Isro said.