Indian's maiden voyage to International Space Station among highlights of PM Modi's first State visit to US

Joe Biden has announced that sending an Indian astronaut to the ISS in 2024 is one of the ways to demonstrate how the two countries can collaborate.

An Indian astronaut’s maiden voyage to the International Space Station next year has emerged as one of the highlights of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first State visit to the United States, but the ISS plan is unlikely to hamper New Delhi’s own Gaganyaan mission.

US President Joe Biden has announced that sending an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024 is one of the ways to demonstrate how the two countries can collaborate on a range of issues.

Union Science Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said that the mission to the International Space Station would not hamper New Delhi’s own programme to send an Indian to space which is scheduled for lift-off late 2024.

“They (the US) have a mission planned for 2024. Whether it will carry an Indian is being worked out. Gaganyaan, on the other hand, has been in the works. We do not have to mix the two,” Singh told reporters here.

With Russian assistance, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has trained four Indian Air Force pilots as a batch of astronauts for the first Gaganyaan mission. It is not clear whether the astronaut for the ISS mission will be selected from the same group.

But once selected, India will have to pay for the training cost undertaken by the US authorities and rocket charges.

On the Artemis Accord, Singh said India could participate in the US-led programme for exploration of the moon and other celestial objects following a common protocol. The accord, signed by eight founding nations in October 2020, will pave the way for peaceful civil exploration of outer space including the plan to land a human on the moon once again in 2025.

Official sources said the Artemis Accord was a non-binding agreement with no financial commitments on India’s part. The purpose of the accord is to establish a common vision to enhance the use of outer space.

Adherence to a practical set of principles, guidelines, and best practices in carrying out activities in outer space is intended to increase the safety of operations, reduce uncertainty, and promote the sustainable and beneficial use of space for all humankind.

"The pact will also pave the way for easing restrictions on import of critical technologies in the space domain especially electronics, benefiting Indian companies to develop systems and innovate for US markets,” Singh said.