Onlykashmir.in News Desk
India-France space cooperation has entered a new phase, with human spaceflight, start-ups and the wider new space ecosystem now moving to the centre of the partnership, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said in New Delhi on Monday.
Dr Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the PMO with charge of Personnel, Atomic Energy and Space among other portfolios, was speaking after meeting a high-level French delegation led by Prof. Philippe Baptiste, France’s Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space. The talks covered the Space Summit, the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 and priorities in scientific cooperation, including space, CEFIPRA and the Blue Economy. Dr Singh said the sheer breadth of the delegation reflected the wide-ranging nature of ties between the two countries.
Tracing the history of the partnership, he said cooperation is as old as the two countries’ space agencies, progressing from sounding rocket experiments in the 1960s to human spaceflight today. He cited Megha-Tropiques and SARAL, jointly built by ISRO and CNES, and cooperation on launch vehicle engine development as milestones. The third joint satellite, TRISHNA, is progressing well, he said, and he appreciated CNES support to the Gaganyaan programme, including supply of consumables and training of flight surgeons. Teams from both sides have begun discussions on microgravity research and parabolic flights linked to human spaceflight.
The minister said India’s space sector reforms and the rise of its private ecosystem, with more than 400 space start-ups working on rockets, satellites and applications, open the door to cooperation beyond government institutions. The next phase, he said, can bring together institutions, industries and start-ups on both sides to create a larger ecosystem and wider resource pool.
Dr Singh also noted that the India-France Year of Innovation 2026, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the French President in February, offers a platform for progress in emerging technologies. He mentioned the upcoming Water Cycle and TRISHNA Mission event in Bengaluru on October 11. Turning to ocean sciences, he pointed to the scope for cooperation on the Blue Economy and India’s Deep Ocean Mission.
Prof. Baptiste said France shares India’s vision, described TRISHNA as a strong example of joint achievement, and welcomed closer work on human spaceflight, astronaut health and microgravity research. He also backed connecting research institutions and start-ups from both countries to build a future-oriented innovation ecosystem.
