ISRO, European Space Agency signs Technical Implementing Plan for network operation support for Gaganyaan missions

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 6 : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a Technical Implementing Plan (TIP) on December 4, which will enable ESA to provide critical ground tracking support for India's Gaganyaan missions.
According to an ISRO press release, the TIP was signed by Dr Anilkumar A K, Director, ISTRAC, from ISRO and Dietmar Pilz, Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality and Director of ESTEC, Netherlands, from ESA.
"Strengthening global collaboration! On Dec 4, 2024, ISRO and ESA signed a Technical Implementing Plan to provide ground tracking support for the Gaganyaan Mission. A major step for seamless orbital operations and data continuity!" ISRO posted on X on Friday.
The TIP was signed at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), in the August presence of Dr Somanath S, Chairman, ISRO and Didier van der Hasselt, Ambassador from Belgium to India.
The TIP enables the ESA to provide ground station support for Gaganyaan Missions which will ensure continuity in data flow and communication with the Orbital Module for monitoring and orbital operations.
ISRO and ESA have long-standing cooperation and have been collaboratively supporting each other in the successful accomplishment of several space missions in the past and further committed to future collaboration activities.
The signing of the TIP is another step forward in the cooperation between ISRO and ESA.
Gaganyaan project envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.
Earlier on Thursday, ISRO successfully launched the PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission, deploying ESA's satellites into their designated orbit with precision.
ISRO said that the mission reflected the dedication of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO and European Space Agency (ESA) teams. This achievement highlights India's critical role in enabling global space innovation, ISRO added.
The PSLV-C59 vehicle is carrying the Proba-3 spacecraft into a highly elliptical orbit as part of a dedicated commercial mission by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). The PSLV-C59 mission is a joint initiative between ISRO and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).Proba-3 is a technology demonstration mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and marks ESA's first precision formation-flying mission. It involves a pair of satellites flying together in a fixed configuration, as if forming a single large rigid structure in space, to showcase innovative formation-flying and rendezvous technologies.