Paris: PM Modi Calls for Global Cooperation to Keep Space Safe, Sustainable
Paris, Sept 10 (TNT): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for international cooperation to ensure a safe, secure, peaceful and sustainable space domain, saying countries must prioritise cooperation over confrontation, sustainability over short-term gains and inclusion over exclusion.
Addressing the first International Space Summit in Paris through video conference, Modi said the growing number of space actors, crowded orbits and advancing technologies made collective responsibility essential.
He said India’s approach was guided by the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and advocated a space domain anchored in international law, dialogue and multilateral cooperation.
Scientific data should serve the common good with openness and integrity, he said.
Highlighting India’s space programme, Modi said ISRO’s capabilities were being used for weather forecasting, disaster management, navigation and supporting farmers and fishermen.
More than 430 satellites from 34 countries have travelled to space aboard Indian rockets, he said.
He credited generations of Indian scientists, engineers and technicians with building the country’s capabilities and highlighted Chandrayaan-3’s landing near the lunar south pole and the Aditya-L1 mission to study the Sun.
India aims to establish an Indian space station by 2035 and send an Indian to the Moon by 2040, Modi said, adding that the benefits of these efforts should reach all humanity.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the growth of India’s private space sector and said France had been a trusted partner since the Indian space programme began at Thumba in the 1960s.
Cooperation between the two countries now covers areas including Earth observation and advanced technologies, he said.
Modi invited France and other countries to partner India in its next phase of space exploration and called for collective efforts to explore, innovate and protect space for future generations.
TNT KS
