South Australia Governor Meets Jitendra Singh to Deepen Space Tech Collaboration

New Delhi, Jun 26 (KNN) South Australia Governor Frances Adamson AC, on her official visit to India, met with Union Minister Jitendra Singh to explore opportunities for deeper collaboration between India and Australia in space technology and innovation.

During their meeting, both dignitaries watched the special screening of the Axiom-4 mission launch. The event marked a proud moment for India, as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, serving as Mission Pilot, joined the global crew heading to the International Space Station (ISS).

Jitendra Singh praised the growing India-Australia partnership in cutting-edge technologies and recalled the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) signed in 2012, which laid the foundation for space cooperation.

He highlighted the acceleration of ties following the establishment of the Australian Space Agency (ASA) in 2018 and the amendment agreement in 2021.

He acknowledged Australia’s support for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission and cited the recent visit of Indian teams to Canberra for Crew Module Recovery discussions as a step forward in joint collaboration.

Highlighting India’s advancements in space biotechnology, Singh shared that indigenous biotech kits, developed under a DBT-ISRO collaboration, are currently being tested aboard the ISS. These kits will study microalgae growth in microgravity, essential for long-duration space travel.

The two leaders also discussed boosting Public-Private Partnerships and fostering collaboration between startups. They proposed extending cooperation to marine research, capitalising on shared oceanic resources.

Governor Adamson praised India’s space progress and expressed optimism for future partnerships in space, marine research, and innovation. She was joined by Australian High Commissioner to India, Philip Green.

(KNN Bureau)