In 2022, India and France agreed to cooperate on securing outer space and tackling the contemporary challenges that have arisen in the sector. This agreement had been a result of long standing relationship between the two countries in space.
Now, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a two-day strategic visit to France, the space collaboration again looks to bloom between the two nations. Moreover, the key pillar in bettering relations between India and France have also come down to economic flourishment encompassing the burgeoning startup ecosystem along with the traditional industries, trades and other investments.
PM Modi’s visit marks 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the India and France and highlights the continuous efforts and significance towards upgrading relations.
Flourishing Sector
Taking a stock of the space sector in India and other countries, the industry is going under a renovation phase. The Indian space sector has been opened up for private industries, and a lot of startups have been popping up. With FDIs also enabled, the Indian space landscape looks to mushroom into a powerhouse.
In other parts of the world, emergence of micro, nano, and small satellites is being witnessed along with breakthrough innovations in payload capacities and launchers. These emerging trends give a fruitful outlook to the sector, making it a crucial aspect of India-France diplomatic relations.
Cementing its Presence
In 2013, CNES – French space agency – opened its permanent liaison office in the Indian IT city Bengaluru. Two years later, an MoU was signed for a joint vision for space cooperation which was realised in 2018. A year later, the collaboration got graver as joint exploration and research of Mars, Venus, and asteroids were announced along with maritime surveillance and climate monitoring.
Coming back to last year’s cooperation agreement, the two nations also agreed to enhance their efforts in catalysing startup ecosystem across the nations and strengthen public-private partnership. This agreement also got France on-board for India’s first human-spaceflight mission – Gaganyaan. France’s space agency CNES has been providing physicians, mission control teams, scientific experiments, and exchanging information on food and nutrition.
A Past of Partnership
The debut collaboration between India and France in the space sector goes back several decades. In 1970s, ISRO and CNES worked together on developing the Viking engine which later paved the way for India’s Vikas engine. This engine was utilized in the liquid-fuelled stages of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III).
The two countries have also jointly developed satellites such as SARAL (Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA) and Megha-Tropiques. Additionally, the EOS-6/OceanSat launched by India which is dedicated for studying oceans carries a French-origin payload.
Strategy and Friendship
As diplomatic relations between the two countries remain solid, the space sector has the potential to act as a greater binding agent. And as the sector shows unbound potential for business, security, and power, the importance of space cooperation underscores a need for joint ventures and mission for the nations.
Both the countries can leverage their respective space strengths and combine the workforces to put out fruitful missions in the future. This can foster research and development, boost climate positive changes, disaster management, and border security. Putting PM Modi’s visit to France under this context, it marks a significant move for both the bilateral relations as well as the space industry in either country.
