NASA to send Indian astronaut to International Space Station to fulfil US' promise to PM Modi: Ambassador Eric Garcetti

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said on Friday that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will soon provide training to Indian astronauts as part of the joint effort to the International Space Station. Garcetti also said that America will send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station by the end of this year. 

While mentioning the US's commitment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US in 2023, Eric Garcetti said that America's mission to send an Indian astronaut to ISS is on track.

"We promised when PM (Narendra) Modi came (to the US in 2023) that by the end of this year, we will do this and our mission is still on track to be able to go in space this year,” PTI quoted the US envoy.

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Eric Garcetti also gave an update about the India and US joint space project, NISAR. The project is a joint Earth-observing mission between the US space agency and ISRO. NISAR project will be launched by the end of the year, said Garcetti on Wednesday.

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Advanced training of Indian astronauts

NASA will begin the advanced training for Indian astronauts this year or next to mount a joint effort to the International Space Station, said Eric Garcetti while speaking at the “US-India Commercial Space Conference: Unlocking Opportunities for US & Indian Space Startups,” in Bangalore.

He also applauded the highly efficient work of the Indian space agency. He said that India landed ‘Chandrayan-3’ on the Moon last year at a significantly nominal cost.

He also mentioned the possibility of proceeding with nuclear reactor projects in Mithi Virdhi in Gujarat and Kovadda in Andhra Pradesh after theLok Sabha Elections 2024. The two companies that will build nuclear reactors have raised concerns over the Civil Liability Nuclear Damage Act 2010, which provides for prompt compensation to the victims for damage caused by a nuclear incident through a no-fault liability regime.