Indian astronauts to train in NASA under iCET, signed to deepen India - US ties

As a part of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), the Indian astronauts will receive advanced training at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his USA counterpart Jake Sullivan on February 1 launched iCET.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden on May 22 launched the iCET to elevate and expand strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of India and USA.

Transforming vision into action! NSAs Ajit Doval & Jake Sullivan formally launched U.S.-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies(iCET).

Announced by @narendramodi & @POTUS,iCET reflects🇮🇳🇺🇸 conv.of strategic,commercial & scientific approaches in field of technology pic.twitter.com/XvXHCdCGqk

— India in USA (@IndianEmbassyUS)

Indian astronauts to train at NASA

The iCET includes various bilateral initiatives and under the collaboration in the space sector between both countries, to strengthen cooperation on the human spaceflight mission, including establishing exchanges that will include advanced training for an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) or the Department of Space astronaut at NASA Johnson Space Center.  

Moreover under iCET, within 2024, Indian aerospace companies and US Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) companies will work together for the advancement of NASA's CLPS project. 

U.S.- India Civil Space Joint Working Group

Both countries also formed the U.S.- India Civil Space Joint Working Group to foster U.S.-India commercial space engagement and enable growth and partnerships between U.S. and Indian commercial space sectors.

Under iCET, the ISRO Chairman will visit the United States this week and the NASA administrator will visit India later in 2023. Additionally, planetary defense was added to the agenda of the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group.

In the defense innovation and technology co-operation, the United states said, it will speed up the application from General Electric to jointly produce jet engines that could power jet aircraft operated and produced indigenously by India. 

Image: ANI