India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, emphasized the enduring and dynamic space partnership between ISRO and NASA, describing it as one of the strongest pillars of India-US collaboration. He made the remarks at the India-USA Space Collaboration event in Washington, which featured astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla.
Kwatra remarked that the gathering offered a refreshing perspective, bringing together “individuals with a space-centric view of Earth.” Reflecting on the long-standing cooperation, he noted that India and the US began their space journey in the 1970s with the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), designed to support education in rural areas. Since then, the partnership has grown to include milestone projects such as the Chandrayaan lunar missions, India’s endorsement of the Artemis Accords, and the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission earlier this year.
Looking ahead, Kwatra stated that India is preparing for ambitious goals, including a manned mission to the moon and a space station between 2028 and 2035, where NASA will continue to play a pivotal role.
At the same event, astronaut Sunita Williams, who commanded Expedition 72, reflected on the mission’s challenges, calling it a “super difficult challenge” that tested teamwork, resilience, and communication. She highlighted that the mission lasted longer than anticipated, teaching valuable lessons on collaboration and the importance of listening to one another.
The mission, which ran from September 2024 until Crew-9’s return in March 2025, carried out more than 1,000 hours of experiments in areas such as human health, biology, fire safety, and materials science. It also advanced in-orbit 3D metal printing technology and prepared the deployment of the first wooden satellite.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, chosen for India’s human spaceflight program, participated virtually, symbolizing India’s next steps in human space exploration in cooperation with global partners.
The event, hosted by the Indian Embassy in Washington, brought together NASA officials, embassy staff, and members of the Indian diaspora, reinforcing the deepening collaboration between the two nations in space exploration.
