INDIA-US SPACE COOPERATION - FACT SHEET 

New Delhi
March 2, 2006

Civil Space cooperation between India and US is a significant aspect of the emerging high technology and strategic cooperation between the two countries. This was one of the areas identified under the now completed Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) and was advanced through discussions within the ambit of the India-US High Technology Cooperation Group and the India-US Space Conference in June 2004 in Bangalore. With a view to expand further the scope of cooperation, a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Civil Space Cooperation was/has been established and it had held its first meeting at Bangalore in June 2005. The next meeting of the JWG is likely expected later this year in 2006. The JWG serves as a permanent platform for joint review and formulation of policy, for monitoring and review of joint programmes and to create, establish and modify mechanisms for smooth collaboration in the field of civil space cooperation between both the countries mechanism for exchange of views and discussions on further possibilities for enhanced cooperation, on promoting understanding of government policies and procedures and in facilitating collaboration by addressing problems promptly and expeditiously. 

In an important step forward and one that opens up a wide array of opportunities on both sides for cooperation in outer space exploration, India and US signed, in November 2006, two Technical Assistance Agreements (TAAs) that would US has authorized its entities for export of two US scientific instruments enabling their inclusion of two US payloads to fly on boarding the first Indian instrumented lunar mission ISRO’s Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Mission. These two US instruments are - (1) Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar to map the polar landscape and deposits of water ice in these cold traps up to a depth of a few metres and (2) a Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) to assess the mineral resources of the Moon and to characterise and map the composition of the surface at high spatial resolution. These NASA funded instruments were selected from 16 firm proposals from all over the globe received by ISRO against its announcement of opportunity and are expected to contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge about the moon. Towards this end, The US payloads sponsored by the NASA and include M3 (Moon Mineralogy Mapper) and the MiniSAR (Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar) equipment. ISRO and NASA have also finalized formulated two separate MoUs which define the scope of the experiments and sharing of responsibilities and data. 

Further, to facilitate the launching of US licensed satellites and also foreign satellites carrying US controlled items, as envisaged under the NSSP, a Technology Safeguard Agreement has now been mutually agreed to safeguard protected technologies of the either side associated with such a mission. Space cooperation progressed on cooperation to allow space launch of US satellites and of foreign satellites with US licensed equipment using Indian Space launch vehicles as was envisaged under the NSSP. To this end and in order to lay down parameters to ensure that technology on both sides remains safeguarded at the time of these interactions, the two countries have concluded a Technology Safeguards Agreement. Under the now concluded NSSP, US has also agreed to permit direct cooperation in developing, producing, marketing, and/or operating Indian and U.S. commercial satellites. All this has opened up new opportunities for cooperation in the area of satellite launch and fabrication and enables scientific skills and technical know-how of the two countries to be pooled together in a frontier area of technology in mutual benefit. 

The two sides are also continue to exploring the potential and possibilities of cooperation in earth observation, satellite communication, satellite navigation and its application, space science, natural hazards research and disaster management support, and space education and training in space. 

US has also decided to consider removal of the remaining ISRO entities from the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List. US had earlier removed ISRO Headquarters from the US Department of Commerce Entity List in September 2004. and Later, following Prime Minister’s visit in July 2005, US further removed three other ISRO subsidiaries entities from these Entity List. USA now declares removal of all remaining ISRO entities from this Entity List to further boost the These entities that have now been removed from the Entity List would play an important role in bilateral cooperation in the civil space sector and enable further expansion of cooperation in the Space sector between the two countries sides.