Space high on the agenda of French President

While, India and France are expected to sign several agreements on civil nuclear co-operation and film co-production during Sarkozy’s visit, space will also assume an important position in the French Prime Minister’s agenda.

Sources at the ISRO Satellite Centre here said that Sarkozy is expected to spend more than one hour ten minutes in ISRO addressing the scientists and he will also sign some deals in relation to space later in Delhi.

Majority of the discussions involving Sarkozy is expected to be on the two Indo-French projects Megha-Tropiques and SARAL but talks on future projects between the two countries  is not ruled out they said.

Megha-Tropiques, a satellite being jointly developed by ISRO and CNES, the French counterpart of ISRO is to study the water cycle in the tropical atmosphere and SARAL (Satellites for Argos and Altika) is to monitor the sea water level. For the latter, the payloads –– Argos and Altika –– are built and supplied by France and the responsibility of building and launching the satellite is given to ISRO.

Sources said that the space co-operation would be in terms of what they call an Earth Systems Science and Climate Programme. Sarkozy’s scheduled visit at ISRO is between 12.30 pm-1.40 pm on Saturday.

It is learnt from police sources that Sarkozy will land at the HAL Airport at 10 am by a special French aircraft, five minutes before heading to the Hotel Leela Palace on Airport road. At 12.20 pm, he will depart for ISRO and begin his visit ten minutes later. He will be back at the HAL Airport at 1.30 pm before taking off to Agra at 1.50 pm.

While Sarkozy will not attend the function, Valerie Pecresse, the French minister for higher education and research, will on Saturday inaugurate the Bangalore consulate, its fourth in India. The Bangalore consulate will cater to the southern region.