Russia might increase equipment supplies to India for human spaceflight program - Deputy PM Manturov

NEW DELHI. Nov 12 (Interfax) - Russia stands ready to ramp up deliveries of equipment and components for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight program, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, co-chairman of a Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission for trade, economic, scientific, technological, and cultural cooperation, said at the commission's regular meeting.

"We attach great significance to developing cooperation in space exploration. We see opportunities for expanding deliveries of equipment and components for implementing India's Gaganyaan national human spaceflight program," Manturov said.

The two countries have also advanced quite far ahead in pursuing satellite navigation projects, he said.

In June 2019, Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of Russia's Roscosmos state space corporation and its main operator for economic cooperation outside the country, and the Indian Space Research Organization's Human Space Flight Center signed a contract for training Indian candidates for spaceflight.

In September 2022, Glavkosmos said it had completed contracts for training four Indian Air Force pilots to fly into space, with support provided by the Cosmonaut Training Center and the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute for Biomedical Problems.

As reported, Glavkosmos fulfilled contracts to deliver systems and equipment for India's Gaganyaan crewed transport spacecraft and individual gear for future Indian astronauts, such as spacesuits, seats, and seat liners manufactured by Russia's Zvezda Scientific and Production Enterprise.