New Delhi: French space agency CNES chief Jean-Yves Le Gall has said that India and France have planned launch of8 to 10 satellites as part of a “constellation” for maritime surveillance. This will be India’s largest space cooperation with any country.
They added that the launch of 8-10 maritime surveillance satellites will focus on the Indian Ocean, a region that has been witnessing increasing Chinese presence.
France will also share its expertise with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on inter-planetary missions to Mars and Venus, the Indian space agency’s two major missions, Gall said.
“We started (talks) on constellation of new satellites for maritime awareness. Of course, it will take time,” Gall told PTI in an interaction.
Asked how many satellites will be part of the project, he said, “It would be between eight-10.”
The purpose of the constellation is monitoring sea traffic management, a CNES official said, adding that it would take less than five years to launch the satellites.
In March this year, India and France unveiled a joint vision for space, resolving to strengthen cooperation between ISRO and CNES.
“ISRO and CNES would work together for design and development of joint products and techniques, including those involving Automatic Identification System, to monitor and protect assets in land and sea. In particular, both sides will pursue the study of a constellation of satellites for maritime surveillance,” the joint vision statement said.
Several crucial sea lanes of communications pass through the Indian Ocean, a region critical to the strategic interests of India and France.
While the Indian Ocean region is the prime focus for New Delhi, Paris has its territories spread across the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, officials said.
The robust space cooperation between India and France goes back six decades. Last week, the two countries signed an agreement to share expertise on ISRO’s human mission programme Gaganyaan. The space agencies of the two countries have also been working on climate monitoring on the joint missions Megha-Tropiques (launched in 2011) and Saral-Altika (launched in 2013).