MOSCOW: India has invited Russian companies to invest in its innovative space ventures and explore opportunities in the country’s growing space market, Ambassador Vinay Kumar said.
“The Government of India has introduced attractive schemes to foster a favorable environment for the space industry,” Kumar stated while speaking at a function at the Indian Embassy here on Tuesday, marking the second National Space Day.
The event celebrated the deployment of the Pragyan Rover on the Moon aboard Chandrayaan-3 on August 23, 2023.
Highlighting decades of space collaboration between New Delhi and Moscow, the envoy recalled key milestones, including the launch of India’s first satellite Aryabhata on a Soviet rocket in 1975, Rakesh Sharma’s journey aboard the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft in 1984, and the ongoing partnership on India’s Gaganyaan human space mission.
Officials and experts from Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, which works closely with ISRO, also attended the event.
Kumar emphasized that while space has emerged as a modern industry only in recent decades, it has deep roots in Indian tradition dating back to the Vedic period. “Scholars like Aryabhata studied the motion of celestial bodies and their influence on human life. Today, space technology—from communication to navigation—is an integral part of daily life in India,” he said.
The function also featured space-themed cultural performances by students from the Embassy-run Kendriya Vidyalaya and members of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre.
