Chennai, Dec.01: NASA Administrator Senator Bill Nelson visited ISRO’s Antariksh Bhavan in Bengaluru, engaging in discussions with Chairman S. Somanath. The meeting highlighted the enduring collaboration between NASA and ISRO, spanning from the launch of the first sounding rocket from India to joint missions like NISAR. Chairman Somanath commended the space sector reforms enabling Indian private entities’ participation in national space activities.
Senator Nelson praised India for reaching the near south pole of the Moon and expressed NASA’s anticipation for the data from the upcoming NISAR mission. The leaders discussed potential future collaborations, including India’s Gaganyaan program, enhanced interactions among scientific, academic, and industrial communities.
Later, Senator Nelson, Chairman Somanath, and Wg Cdr (Rtrd.) Rakesh Sharma interacted with the ISRO/DOS community. Earlier in the day, the NASA Administrator visited ISRO’s UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) to inspect the NISAR satellite’s final integration and testing activities. The Indo-US joint NISAR mission is scheduled for an early launch next year.
