Agreement between ISRO and Australian agency, mission is to take humans to space and bring them back

On Thursday, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said that it had signed an Implementation Agreement (IA) with the Australian Space Agency (ASA) to further strengthen cooperation in the two space activities. The agreement will enable cooperation between the two space agencies related to crew and crew modules for the country's first manned space flight program, the Gaganyaan mission.

The Indian Space Agency said in a statement that the MoU was signed on November 20 by DK Singh, Director, Human Space Flight Center (HSFC) on behalf of ISRO in Bengaluru, and Jarrod Powell, General Manager, Space Capability Branch on behalf of ASA in Canberra.

The "Gaganyaan", also called the human space flight program, that ISRO launched recently, plans to fly to low earth orbit for three days carrying three crew members and return the module safely. ISRO said that under this agreement, Australian officials will work in tandem with Indian officials. This agreement will ensure assistance in landing the crew module back on Earth.

ISRO said that India and Australia are strategic partners on a permanent basis, adding that both space agencies work together on many aspects. Both agencies are committed to exploring current and future cooperation activities.