No immediate need to collaborate with China on space, says ISRO

ISRO chairman and Indian Science Minister discuss potential collaboration with China on space research at National Space Day.

India will collaborate with China on space research if it sees the need to do so, but at present, there is no need for such engagement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S. Somanath told The Hindu on Friday (August 23, 2024), seconded by Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State for the Department of Space.

They were responding to a question from The Hindu on the sidelines of the National Space Day celebrations, asking whether Indian scientists might benefit from engaging with China, especially in the context of the Chandrayaan-4 mission, which does not have a firm timeline as yet, but is likely to take place before 2030. The mission will involve sending a probe to the moon to scoop lunar soil samples and bring some back to earth. A successful mission of this sort would, most importantly, prove ISRO’s technological capability to remotely launch a rocket from another celestial body.

“We are working on developing our own capabilities and stressing on indigenous development... If we find any deficiencies, we will collaborate,” said Dr. Somanath, the ISRO chief.

Seconding his views, Dr. Singh, who is also the Science Minister, said that if there was any “mutual benefit”, India would be open to collaboration. “We can consider it, but I don’t see any need as of now. All our successes so far have been completely indigenous. We regularly engage internationally and are working with NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] on a satellite,” he added.

The pair were fielding questions from the press at an event to mark the first anniversary of the Chandrayaan-3 successfully landing at the moon’s South Polar region on August 23, 2023.

In June, China’s Chang‘e 6 spacecraft brought back soil and rock from the far side of the moon – the side that’s not visible from the earth – over a 53-day mission. Chinese authorities had then given an open invitation to scientists from all over the world to study the samples, under research collaborations.

“China welcomes scientists from all countries to apply according to the processes and share in the benefits,” Liu Yunfeng, director of the international cooperation office of the China National Space Administration, had said at a briefing. China has worked with the European Space Agency, France, Italy, and Pakistan on the Chang’e 6 mission. While American researchers have reportedly expressed a desire to work with China, U.S. law forbids such direct bilateral engagement and requires its security establishment to vet any scientific engagement.