The Russian national space agency, ROSCOSMOS, during a meeting with Indian officials, offered the assistance of Russian experts for the selection and training of Indian astronauts for a human spaceflight mission, according to SputnikNews.
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ROSCOSMOS is the national Russia space agency and has also launched India’s first two satellites, Aryabhatta and Bhaskara, into orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Khazakstan (under USSR)
An offer was made about Russian experts’ support in conducting various stages of selection of astronauts for the flight, as well as passing a foundation course in Russia and assistance in the subsequent training of Indian astronauts.
India and Russia share a strong collaboration in the field of space technology. India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma travelled to space on board Soyuz T-11 spacecraft along with Russian commander Yuri Malyshev and Russian engineer Gennadi Mikhailovich Strekalov.
In 2015, India and Russia signed an agreement to pursue joint programs in a few areas of space research. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the augmentation of collaboration in the field of the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
This new MoU between ISRO and ROSCOSMOS provides scope for developing joint projects including satellite navigation, launch vehicle development, vital technologies for human spaceflight programme, remote sensing of Earth, space science and planetary exploration, and use of ground space infrastructure.
Specific collaborative offers for further processing are also included in the MoU. Joint projects, sharing of expertise and resources, development of space systems and components, exchange of scientists, training and scientific and technical meetings are listed out as the forms of collaboration.
