Indo-French Space Research Collaboration To Lead To A Mars Landing?

The Indo-French alliance for rockets is spread across Asia, Europe and South America. The Kourou in South America houses an expansive 700 sq km European space port in the middle of lush green rain forests. That port is a heartening sight for all Indian nationals as their tricolor soars high along with the EU and French flags.

According to The Economic Times, France has been the only country that has contributed the most in the space sector in partnering with India. India has always reciprocated with same zeal as France has benefitted as well from this collaboration.

France helped India in launching its first ever baby rocket, back in the year 1963, and it has aided the launch of India's heavy weight communication satellite, GSAT-18 on October 6, 2016. It is quite evident that India has strong and deep connections with France when it comes to the space sector.

India and France both have designed rocket engines together, have constructed satellites for each other, assisted each other in learning things that were being to one another by the other countries, and most importantly, both countries have helped train human resources in this front. All this has successfully led both countries gain the recognition of frontline space powers, each in their own right.

In recent times, the Indo-French collaboration jointly made a satellite devoted to the study of Earth's water cycle, known as Megha Tropiques. This was a 1,000 kg satellite launched using the PSLV in 2011. ISRO and CNES signed a new documentation that stated the joint continuation of the mission for next four years.

Establishing a new partnership, ISRO and CNES have decided to engage in a new collaborative climate mission. The French Argos data-collection instrument will fly on the Indian Oceansat-3 satellite in 2018. India and France have also begun development of a future joint thermal infrared observation satellite, according to The Wire.

"India is one of the best partners and customers for France," says CNES president, Jean-Yves Le Gall further adding that in the coming times, CNES and ISRO might explore planets like Mars and Venus jointly.

"After India's Mars Orbiter Mission, the next step has to be a lander. A lander on Mars is not easy, but it will be interesting to undertake," states Le Gall.

As the saying goes, in space technology neither is any frontier impossible, nor is any dream too big, especially for France and India that soar high to decrypt the codes and secrets of the universe, while not forgetting the needs of the Earthlings.