US to Train Indian Astronaut for ISS Mission: NASA Chief

Washington: NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced an expansion of collaboration with India, including a joint mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) featuring an Indian astronaut.

This follows a fact sheet from the US-India iCET Dialogue, where US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval discussed advanced training for ISRO astronauts in the US.

Nelson highlighted the ongoing United States-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), emphasizing the benefits for humanity. “Together, we are expanding our collaboration in space to include a joint effort aboard the ISS with an ISRO astronaut,” Nelson shared on X.

Details of the mission are still under development, but the partnership aims to support future human spaceflight and improve life on Earth. Sullivan and Doval concluded the Strategic Framework for Human Spaceflight Cooperation, enhancing interoperability in space and preparing for the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite, which will map the Earth’s surface biweekly to combat climate change.

The iCET, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden in May 2022, aims to bolster US-India collaboration in critical technologies. Sullivan’s visit to Delhi, the first by a senior Biden Administration official since Modi’s third-term victory, also focused on cooperation in AI, semiconductors, critical minerals, advanced telecommunications, and defence space.