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Jean Yves Le Gall, President, CNES, and K Sivan, Chairman, ISRO, on Wednesday signed an agreement to create an Indo-French working group for Gaganyaan (mission to put an Indian in space).
Under the agreement, France will share with India its experience in space- crew transport, space medicine and navigation.
Engineering teams are in talks and it is envisioned that infrastructure such as CADMOS centre for development of microgravity applications and space operations or the MEDES space clinic will be used for the training Indian astronauts, as well as exchange of specialist personnel, Le Gall said.
Strategic partnership
At the inauguration of the sixth edition of Bengaluru Space Expo (BSX-2018), he said ISRO and CNES will be in an arrangement that will see France offering India the full benefit of its experience in space. “This arrangement will notably encompass space medicine and crew life support, two fields in which our teams are among the best in the world.”
Space cooperation between France and India has reached the level of a strategic partnership boosting the economies and strengthening security. “The clearest demonstration of this came last spring when French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a joint statement urging us to work even more closely together,” said Le Gall.
CNES is constantly adjusting to the new challenges of space. In France, it is driving innovation for industry and economy.
The satellite industry is undergoing a veritable revolution. Where satellites once tipped the scales at several tonnes, they now weigh no more than a few hundred or even tens of kilograms. In the wake of electric propulsion, new optical telecommunications and artificial intelligence systems are set to usher in new discoveries, he said.
In the field of launchers, JLe Gall said, “Lower cost is making it easier to get into space. Ariane 5 and Vega, GSLV and PSLV are today the best launchers in the world, but to stay competitive, we must start preparing technologies for future launchers.”
Monitoring climate
Referring to the recent floods in Kerala, Le Gall said: “Kerala reminded us that monitoring our climate and striving to understand climate change is not just a matter of our well-being, but it is a question of our survival as well.”
“And space tech is the only tool capable of providing the global, continuous picture vital for both prevention and cure. This challenge has significantly shifted the role of space agencies, making climate actions a key priority,” he said.
He further said that the French-Indian Trishna infrared remote-sensing mission, currently in development, will add to the range of applications that are going to prove vital to our societies. The project is focussed on land infrared monitoring and Oceansat3-Argos mission. ISRO will be launching in 2019 the Oceansat 3 satellite carrying CNES’s Argos instrument to collect environmental data and track wildlife.
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