NASA to train an Indian astronaut for ISS mission

Terming India as a “great future partner”, Nelson said that US would be open to collaborate on an Indian Space Station. The Prime Minister called on Isro scientists to set up an Indian Space Station by 2035 and send an Indian to the moon by 2040.

Written by Anonna Dutt

New Delhi | Updated: November 30, 2023 08:30 AM IST

2 min read

A mosaic image of the International Space Station as pictured by a Crew Dragon spacecraft in 2021. (NASA)

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US space agency NASA will train an Indian astronaut for a mission to the International Space Station by the end of 2024, said the organisation’s administrator Bill Nelson during his Delhi visit. Terming India as a “great future partner”, Nelson said that US would be open to collaborate on an Indian Space Station. The Prime Minister called on Isro scientists to set up an Indian Space Station by 2035 and send an Indian to the moon by 2040.

“We are going to de-orbit our space station in 2031. We expect by that time to have commercial space stations. If India wants us to counsel or collaborate with them, of course we would be willing to,” he said. Nelson said another major programme emerging from India-US collaboration would be the NISAR satellite to be launched in the first quarter of 2024.

“It was part of the agreement …. that NASA will help train an Indian astronaut and that astronaut will fly to the International Space Station at the end of 2024,” said Nelson, adding that the astronaut would be selected by Isro. The selection will likely be from among the four persons who have undergone basic space astronaut training in preparation for the Gaganyaan mission. The science objectives for the two-week long mission will be decided by India.

“I just had a discussion with the minister of science on what the Indian astronaut would do on the Space Station. Things that are important to India in scientific research, the Indian astronaut ought to have the choice to do that,” Nelson said.

A statement from the department of space — after a meeting between Nelson and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh — said a joint working group of both the space agencies were exploring collaborating on radiation impact studies, micro meteorite and orbital debris shield studies, space health and medicine aspects.

An implementing arrangement for ISRO-NASA collaborations haves been agreed upon and is in the process of inter-government approvals.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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