Indian Space Agency, Israeli Counterpart to Formalize Strategic Collaborations

ISRO chief A.S. Kiran Kumar has said that the organization hopes to soon formalize key collaborations in space technologies with Israel Space Agency (ISA), taking forward a cooperation agreement signed between the two during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Middle Eastern country last month. The agreement mainly focused on developing technologies in the areas of electric propulsion for the small satellites, atomic clocks and GEO-LEO Optical Link.

"We are looking for cooperation in the field of optical communication technique and electric propulsion system of space technology," Kumar said on Monday in New Delhi.

India’s collaboration with Israel in the fields of communication and aeronautics is low compared to India’s cooperation with other countries like the US, Russia and countries of the European Union.

In 2011, Israel had supplied India with a radar imaging satellite, later named RISAT-2. A nano satellite from Israel was one of the 104 satellites launched by ISRO in its record-breaking feat in February although the first launch of an Israeli satellite was done by the Indian space agency in 2008.

Kumar, who also serves as the secretary of the Department of Space, informed that ISRO has been already working with and share resources with international agencies on collaborative projects.

A case in point: ISRO and NASA’s NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite that can help in providing crucial information on the biomass estimation and agriculture production estimation. The NISAR will also help in studying earth surface deformation, which could provide valuable inputs for future earthquake precursors.