India and the United States (US) are joining forces to combat climate change and other global challenges through a groundbreaking space-based initiative. The White House, during National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s two-day visit to New Delhi, announced the upcoming joint launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.
This satellite, developed through a collaborative effort between NASA and ISRO, will play a crucial role in tackling global issues. It’s designed to map the entirety of Earth’s surface twice every 12 days, providing valuable data for understanding climate change, disaster management, and other critical areas. The White House made the announcement following meetings between Jake Sullivan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, on Monday.
The two officials also co-chaired the second meeting of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), setting the stage for the next chapter of strategic technology partnership between the two nations.
Beyond the satellite launch, the White House unveiled another significant partnership. The US Space Force will collaborate with Indian startups, 114ai and 3rdiTech, to advance space situational awareness, data fusion technologies, and infrared sensor semiconductor manufacturing. This collaboration represents a further step in the US and India’s growing partnership in the field of space technology.
The White House emphasized the strong bond of friendship shared by India and the United States. John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Advisor, highlighted the two nations’ shared values as the world’s oldest and largest democracies and underscored the trip’s objective to strengthen the US-India partnership for a safer and more prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
While Kirby emphasized the focus on strengthening the US-India relationship and emerging technologies, he declined to comment on the extradition of Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national accused in a murder-for-hire plot against Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, citing ongoing conversations and the visit’s primary objective.
