This collaboration builds upon the historical space cooperation between India and Mauritius, dating back to the late 1980s, when ISRO established a Ground Station in Mauritius for mission support…reports Asian Lite News
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) are set to come together to develop a Joint Small Satellite.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect between the two agencies, signed in Port Louis, Mauritius, on November 1, 2023, was approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
The MoU, framed under the aegis of Mauritius’s Ministry of Information Technology, Communication, and Innovation, aims to establish a comprehensive framework for collaboration in satellite development and utilization of MRIC’s Ground Station capabilities.
This strategic partnership is poised to fortify India-Mauritius relations significantly in 2024. According to information released by India’s Department of Space, key aspects of this collaboration include the engagement of Indian industries in developing satellite subsystems, potentially generating employment opportunities in India, and ensuring the sustained support of the Mauritius Government for the Indian Ground Station in Mauritius.
This Ground Station is critical for ISRO’s launch vehicle and satellite missions. Additionally, the joint satellite building will also help in ensuring MRIC support from their Ground Station for ISRO’s small satellite mission in future, the Department of Space explained.
The estimated cost for the realization of the joint satellite is pegged at INR 20 crore, funded by the Government of India, with no additional exchange of funds between the parties involved. The implementation schedule for this project is set at 15 months.
This collaboration builds upon the historical space cooperation between India and Mauritius, dating back to the late 1980s, when ISRO established a Ground Station in Mauritius for mission support. The current framework of space cooperation is guided by a country-level agreement signed in 2009, superseding the initial 1986 agreement in this regard.
The joint satellite initiative originated from MRIC’s interest in developing a small satellite for Mauritius. Subsequently, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) requested ISRO to initiate discussions with MRIC for an India-Mauritius joint satellite, with MEA funding for the satellite’s realization, launch, and operation.
An MoU on this was signed during Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan’s visit to Mauritius in November last year.
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