A deal for space cooperation signed on Friday between Russia and India concerns a manned space program and the development of cooperation in the sphere of navigation systems, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin told journalists.
The contract is the first of several expected to be signed between Russia and India during President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to India.
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An Indian monitoring station will be built near the Russian city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, Rogozin said, without providing any further details about the project.
READ MORE: Signing S-400 deal & defying US: Putin heads to New Delhi to meet Indian PM
New Delhi also asked Moscow for help with its own space launch project in 2022, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said on Friday. “The Indian side has approached us with a request on the implementation of its own project ensuring the launch of an Indian astronaut to space in 2022,” Borisov told reporters.
Reports saying that Russia may take an Indian astronaut to space earlier appeared in Indian media. “The first Indian astronaut was sent to space on a Russian Ship. They are likely to collaborate with us… sending a manned space ship,” sources told One India new portal. So far, Rakesh Sharma remains the only Indian to travel to space. He flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz rocket to the Salyut orbital station in 1984.
President Putin and Indian PM Narendra Modi are set to sign over 20 documents in all. Yet all eyes are on the expected S-400 Triumf deal. India agreed to buy the most sophisticated Russian air defense system available on the market for more than $ 5 billion.
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