Takshashila Discussion Document - India-Russia Space Cooperation: A Way Forward
By Aditya Pareek, Takshashila Institution and Dr. Andrey Gubin, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok
Executive Summary
India - Russia space cooperation in the past includes the USSR launching India’s first few satellites, Rakesh Sharma’s inclusion in a manned Soviet mission, and Russia’s sale of cryogenic engines for India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles. Currently, India-Russia space cooperation is largely limited to NavIC-GLONASS ground stations and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)–Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) augmentation.
Glavcosmos, a subsidiary of the Russian state space company ROSCOSMOS, is also providing commercial services to India’s human space flight mission Gaganyaan. Russia is pursuing the development of a potential deep space mobility platform, a nuclear space tug called “Zeus” that can significantly shift the course of human space exploration worldwide — which could hold potential for new India-Russia collaboration in space. India has historically been able to harness much needed know-how and technology for its space industry by closely co-operating with Russia. Given the right impetus, it can continue to do so today.
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