Gaganyaan Cargo Module discussed during ISRO US Ambassador’s visit to India | Scientific news

The US Ambassador to India visited the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru. Opportunities for future collaboration between NASA and ISRO were discussed. The ISRO press release mentions the development of a cargo ship as part of the Gaganyaan programme.

Illustration of a Gaganyaan cargo capsule approaching the International Space Station (Image Credit: ISRO/NASA/News9).

New Delhi: Eric Garcetti, US Ambassador to India, visited ISRO Headquarters in Bengaluru on May 24, 2024 and discussed future opportunities for India-US space cooperation with S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space. Senior ISRO officials were also present at the discussion.

The agenda included emphasizing mutual interests and shared goals in advancing space science and technology and advancing the space economy. Ongoing associations were discussed, including various working groups, the Artemis Accords, NISAR and the use of the laser reflectometer array on Chandrayaan 3.

Garcetti expressed his admiration for ISRO’s achievements and its role in global space exploration. Future programs discussed included balloon experiments and identifying milestone events. ISRO also emphasized the need to address access to components and items to expedite collaborative missions. This would mean that ISRO opts for interfaces that make Indian hardware compatible with American ones.

Somanath on the left and Garcetti on the right. (Image credit: ISRO).

When Garcetti asked about the role played by the Ministry of Space in promoting commercial activities, Somanath explained that for the first time, payload technologies and space hardware were being realized by Indian facilities located outside ISRO laboratories. ISRO has plans to source payloads and satellites from Indian companies for its future goals, paving the way for them to enter the global market.

NASA’s participation in India’s G20 satellite proposal for environment and climate change was also discussed, as an advanced imaging spectrometer satellite, and a follow-on mission for NISAR, expected to be launched later this year. Plans were made to deepen cooperation between private industries of both India and the US for faster results. The US ambassador also proposed a QUAD satellite.

The Gaganyaan Cargo module

The Gaganyaan cargo module was proposed as an option to transport supplies and experiments to the International Space Station (ISS). ISRO will have to develop an autonomous cargo version of the Gaganyaan crew capsule to serve its own Antariksha Bharatiya space station. The docking modules for the Gaganyaan hardware are being developed according to international standards, which may also enable crewed flights to the ISS. Somanath emphasized on building and standardizing docking interfaces for human space programs to enable the use of space platforms by other countries.