US Space Agency NASA's Administrator Bill Nelson is in India for a critical mission, to review the space cooperation agreements signed between PM Modi and President Biden earlier this year and discuss the launch of the NISAR earth satellite in early 2024.

Senator Bill Nelson congratulated India & ISRO for successfully sending a rover to the south pole of the moon. "India is a great partner for NASA. We congratulate you for landing on the South Pole of the moon. This is a significant achievement. US will be sending private landers to the south pole in 2024, but India has already done it. You have our congratulations", he said, while speaking to journalists in New Delhi.

Nelson said the immediate priority in space cooperation between NASA and ISRO was the launch of the NISAR earth observation satellite. He described the mission as very expensive, costing over a billion dollars but will be a great observatory benefiting the world.

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"We will have a three-dimensional model on whats happening on earth and to the climate. This satellite will help us look at the surface and analyse movements such as earthquake, moving of ice and water", he said.

The NISAR or NASA ISRO SAR Mission will be launched by March 2024. NASA will also train an Indian astronaut to fly to the International Space Station in 2024.

During his visit, Nelson met government officials and briefed them on the kind of experiments the Indian astronaut could potentially carry out at the International Space Station.

India is working towards having its own space station by 2040 and Nelson said that NASA would be happy to help India in building its space station and using it for commercial purposes. "Commercial space station can open a lot of avenues for research including pharma research in zero gravity. If India wants, we can collaborate and share our experience", he said.

Nelson said one of the priorities during the meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping was responsible competition in space. "There is a space race that is on. US plans to send a private lander to the moon next year. We understand China wants to do so as well. Its important to do it responsibly and safely", he added.

During his India visit, Nelson will be meeting Indian private companies operating in the space sector and will also be meeting Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut to travel to space.

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(Edited by : Vivek Dubey)