Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov recently underscored Russia’s significant contributions to the Indian space program during an event commemorating Cosmonautics Day at the Russian House in New Delhi.

Highlighting the historical collaboration between the two nations, Alipov emphasised the USSR and Russia's leadership in space exploration and their pivotal role in shaping India's space endeavours.

He recalled the flight of Rakesh Sharma, India’s first cosmonaut, aboard a Soviet spacecraft in 1984 as a landmark moment in bilateral space cooperation.

Alipov also pointed to ongoing joint projects, such as India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission, which has benefited from Russian expertise in astronaut training, spacecraft systems development, and life-support technologies.

The ambassador praised India as a global leader in modern space exploration, noting that Russia now learns from India’s advancements in this field. He expressed optimism about continued collaboration in areas such as manned space missions, satellite navigation, and planetary exploration.

Alipov also highlighted Russia's technical support for Gaganyaan, including cryogenic engine development and space medicine, while hinting at potential private sector partnerships to further innovation in both countries’ space industries.

The event also featured the unveiling of a memorial plaque honouring Russian cosmonautics pioneers Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Sergei Korolev, and Yuri Gagarin. Other notable speakers included Elena Remizova of Rossotrudnichestvo and cosmonaut Denis Matveev. The discussions reinforced the deepening Indo-Russian ties in space exploration, with shared goals of peaceful use of outer space and preventing an arms race in this domain.

Agencies