India, France Sign €5 Million Space Deals

India and France have strengthened their partnership in the space sector by signing three agreements at the International Space Summit in Paris.

The agreements cover satellite launches, space surveillance, and microsatellite technology, and are worth more than €5 million.

The deals were signed between French companies Safran Space and U-Space, and Indian companies Dhruva Space and AXISCADES.

Safran Space signed contracts worth more than €5 million with Dhruva Space to provide communication systems, inertial navigation units, optical payloads, and ground stations for India's planned 52-satellite space-surveillance constellation.

The constellation, known as SBS-III, is expected to deploy 52 satellites between 2027 and 2030.

The partnership aims to strengthen India's sovereign space capabilities and expand cooperation between French industry and India's growing New Space sector.

In another agreement, French launch-services provider RIDE! will launch two satellites for TakeMeToSpace, an Indian company that designs orbital data centres.

This deal follows several years of cooperation between RIDE! and Indian space companies.

Separately, French space company U-Space and Indian firm AXISCADES signed a commercial cooperation agreement to explore India's microsatellite market.

The partnership will combine French space technology with India's industrial integration capabilities, following a phased roadmap under India's Make in India policy.

India-France space cooperation has expanded over the years into various areas, including Earth observation, space geodesy, human spaceflight, and planetary exploration.

The two countries have also established a Strategic Space Dialogue covering civil and defence space cooperation.

The International Space Summit, held from September 9 to 10, brought together governments, companies, space agencies, and scientists, and featured 51 announcements representing about €20 billion in contracts, investments, and other commitments.

The agreements signed between India and France demonstrate the growing cooperation between the two countries in the space sector.

This cooperation is expected to strengthen India's space capabilities and expand the partnership between French industry and India's New Space sector.

The deals also highlight the importance of international cooperation in the space sector, and the potential for collaboration between countries to achieve common goals.

In the coming years, India and France are expected to continue their cooperation in the space sector, with a focus on areas such as Earth observation, space geodesy, and planetary exploration.

The partnership between the two countries is likely to have a significant impact on the development of the space sector in India, and is expected to contribute to the growth of the country's economy.