Space agencies ink MoU on study of earth system

ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan and CNES Yannick d’Excatha signed the MoU in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the visiting French President Nicholas Sarkozy.

“The areas of space, science and technology, research and development and green technologies are emerging as the new sources of growth that can drive our relationship forward in the coming years,” said Singh, noting that France had been highly supportive of India’s space capabilities in Europe and we value its support immensely.

“India and France intend to broaden the scope of their exchanges and further develop their joint efforts in this field,” read the joint statement issued after Singh-Sarkozy delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House here.

Singh and Sarkozy lauded ISRO and CNES for the progress made in developing the Megha-Tropiques and SARAL satellites, both being developed under Indo-French collaboration for peaceful use of space. Sarkozy was briefed about the satellites when he visited ISRO immediately after landing in Bangalore on Saturday. The data collected by the Megha-Tropiques satellite will help study the water cycle contribution to the climate dynamic in the tropical atmosphere and the processes linked to the tropical convection.

SARAL will carry an Altimeter called ALTIKA for studying the sea surface heights, and an ARGOS payload, which is a satellite-based data collection platform. Both the Megha-Tropiques and Saral are likely to be launched in 2011.

India and France also acknowledged the ascending trend of the industrial cooperation over the years nurtured by the space industries of both the countries.

According to the joint statement, Singh and Sarkozy gladly welcomed the recent breakthroughs made by Astrium and Antrix Corporation in the joint development and marketing of communication satellites, following their 2005 deal.