India has signed 250 documents on space cooperation with 59 countries, says ISRO chief K Sivan

• India has 250 agreements covering space exploration, human spaceflight, and joint experiments with 59 countries around the world.
• Among them, Russia, the US, Russia, and Israel are front runners, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Sivan.
• Russia is currently helping the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots train for ISRO’s human space flight mission Gagayaan, facilitated using critical medical technology from France.
  

Russia, the US, Japan, and Israel are India’s leading partners when it comes to space cooperation.

However, the country has signed over 250 documents in the field with over 59 countries around the world, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K. Sivan at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2020.


Partnerships with foreign agencies range from cooperation in human spaceflight to planetary exploration and joint experiments.

ISRO’s main space exploration partners
ISRO is working on its own missions — but everyone can do with a little help for their friends. For instance, Russia is currently training the Indian Air Force (IAF) officers for India’s first human space flight mission Gaganyaan.


France is providing critical medical technology for the mission. “After realising two joint satellites, Megha-Tropiques and Saral, ISRO AND CNES (National Centre for Space Studies) are working towards realising third mission named Krishna,” said Sivan.

The US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and ISRO are also collaborating on multiple fronts, like developing the NISAR satellite and the sharing data collected by the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Aiming for the Moon, ISRO's current partnership with the Japanese space agency JAXA is preparing for a lunar polar exploration mission.

According to Sivan, international cooperation is a ‘hallmark’ of the Indian space programme.

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