ISRO-NASA hold Discussions on Potential Space Opportunities and Future Cooperation in Space Exploration

Bengaluru. NASA and ISRO have held discussions on potential opportunities for future cooperation in space exploration. NASA jet propulsion laboratory director Dr. Laurie Leshin visited the ISRO headquarters here and had a meeting with the Chairman of the Indian space agency and Secretary of the Department of Space, S. Somanath. Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO said that Dr. Laurie Leshin expressed happiness over the joint efforts of JPL and ISRO officials as a single team at ISROs U. R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC).

The US space agency NASA and its Indian counterpart ISRO have held discussions on potential opportunities for future cooperation in space exploration. Nasa jet propulsion laboratory director Laurie Leshin visited the ISRO headquarters here and had a meeting with the Chairman of the Indian space agency and Secretary of the Department of Space, S. Somanath.

“Dr. Laurie Leshin expressed happiness over the joint efforts of JPL and ISRO officials working together as a single team at ISRO’s U. R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in realising ‘NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR),” Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO said. NISAR’s readiness for launch and potential opportunities for future cooperation including professional exchange in technical areas and space exploration were also discussed during her visit, ISRO said. ISRO sources said the NISAR — a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory being jointly developed by NASA and ISRO — is expected to be launched from Sriharikota spaceport in the first quarter of 2024.

“NISAR will map the entire globe in 12 days and provide spatially and temporally consistent data for understanding changes in Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, ground water and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides,” according to ISRO.