India and France are stepping up cooperation in the space sector, with companies from the two countries signing three new agreements covering satellite
launches, space surveillance and microsatellite technology, according to an official announcement. The agreements, announced at the International Space Summit in Paris, include contracts worth more than 5 million euros between France's Safran Space and India's Dhruva Space for technologies to be used in India's planned 52-satellite space-surveillance constellation. The new agreements come against the backdrop of more than five decades of space cooperation between India and France, built around the partnership between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and France's space agency CNES. Cooperation between India and France in the space sector has expanded over the years to areas including Earth observation, space geodesy, human spaceflight, next-generation launch-vehicle technologies and planetary exploration, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India and France have also established a Strategic Space Dialogue covering civil and defence space cooperation. The first such dialogue was held in Paris in June 2023, while the second was held in New Delhi in March 2024, according to the MEA. ISRO and CNES have concluded agreements covering future launch-vehicle technologies, the joint TRISHNA Earth-observation mission, maritime domain awareness and space situational awareness. Indian and French launch-service companies have also worked together for several years. India's PSLV has launched French satellites commercially, while France's Arianespace has provided launch services for Indian geostationary satellites. During French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India in February, the two sides further backed cooperation in civil satellite development and human spaceflight programmes. The latest agreements therefore add another layer to a long-running India-France space partnership that is increasingly extending from government-led programmes to private-sector technology, manufacturing and commercial space activities. Analysts believe the agreements could deepen India-France space ties, expand private-sector participation and accelerate commercial space technology cooperation.
