Overview

• ESA and ISRO's agreement focuses on ensuring docking compatibility between European spacecraft and India's forthcoming Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).
• The partnership includes joint astronaut training, Earth-based analogue missions, and parabolic flight activities to prepare for future collaborative space operations.
• European astronauts may visit and conduct research aboard the BAS, with its first module planned for launch in 2028 and full completion by 2035.
• ESA is exploring providing cargo delivery support for BAS construction, alongside alignment on scientific payloads and potential robotic lunar missions.
• This collaboration reflects a shift in global space partnerships as ESA diversifies its alliances and India advances its human spaceflight and lunar exploration goals.