On December 17, U.S. Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, and Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra visited the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The visit marked progress in strengthening space cooperation between the United States and India under the U.S.-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET). This follows a commitment made by President Biden and Prime Minister Modi in June 2023 to collaborate across all sectors of space cooperation.
The two nations have reached a significant point in their collaboration across civil, security, and commercial space sectors. This includes human spaceflight, joint space exploration, and promoting commercial partnerships between U.S. and Indian space companies.
During their visit to Houston, Finer and Campbell met with representatives from NASA, ISRO, and leaders from the space industry. They discussed new opportunities to enhance the partnership further. Key developments include:
- Selection of two ISRO astronauts for training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for a joint mission with American astronauts at the International Space Station. Axiom Space will provide this mission.
- The upcoming launch of the Axiom-4 mission in spring 2025 is seen as a milestone in U.S.-India space cooperation.
- Completion of a Strategic Framework for Human Spaceflight Cooperation to improve interoperability in space.
- Progress towards launching the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite in early 2025 from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Center.
- Exploration of creating a new space innovation bridge to foster partnerships between U.S. and Indian startups focusing on satellite technology and space exploration.
- Promotion of defense space cooperation through various initiatives including India's participation in U.S. Space Command's Global Sentinel exercise.
- Advancement of reviews on Missile Technology exports to create opportunities for bilateral industry partnerships on space launch technology.
These efforts reflect a shared interest in advancing both nations' roles within the growing global space economy.
