ISRO, ESA broaden cooperation agreement

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed an exchange of letters extending their long-standing cooperative agreement for a further five years, until January 8, 2032.

• The signature took place in Paris on the margins of the International Space Summit.

• The cooperative agreement, which entered into force in January 2002, provides the framework for cooperation between ESA and ISRO across a broad range of space activities.

• ESA and ISRO have previously worked together on a range of programmes and initiatives spanning Earth observation, satellite navigation, space science and mission operations support.

• Both sides expressed their intention to deepen cooperation through a Joint Statement of Intent on human exploration signed in 2025.

• The newly signed exchange of letters extends the cooperative agreement and updates its scope to reflect evolving priorities in the space sector. 

• In addition to existing areas of cooperation, the agreement now includes space weather and human and robotic exploration, while also recognising the growing importance of the sustainability of outer space activities.

• This extension reaffirms the commitment of both agencies to continue building on their established partnership and to explore new opportunities for cooperation in support of scientific discovery, technological innovation and the sustainable use of space.

Key points on European Space Agency:

• The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975.

• ESA works together with our 23 Member States to push the frontiers of science and technology, and promote economic growth in Europe. 

• ESA is Europe’s comprehensive space agency, active across every area of the space sector.

• Its headquarters is situated in Paris.

• ESA’s governing body, the Council, is responsible for drawing up Europe’s space activities and ensuring the long-term funding of agency activities. Each ESA Member State has one vote and is represented by a Council delegate from the ministry responsible for space activities in each Member State.

• ESA frequently joins in cooperative ventures with other spacefaring nations such as the United States, China, Canada, India and Japan.

• ESA has sites in several European countries, but the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, is the largest. 

• ESTEC is its technical heart, where most ESA projects are born and where they are guided through the various phases of development.