Will the Minister of SPACE be pleased to state:-

(a) whether India and Russia propose to make joint space exploration and transfer of technology under the Indo-Russian Space Cooperation Agreement;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the salient features of this Agreement;

(c) the progress made so far in this regard; and

(d) the extent to which India is likely to be benefited from this Agreement?

ANSWER: MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY PERSONNEL,PG & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE(SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY):

(a)&(b) As a part of Indo- Russia co-operation in the field of space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Federal Space Agency of Russia (ROSCOSMOS) have entered into a co-operative agreement in November 2007, for carrying out joint unmanned exploration of the moon. This programme is called Chandrayaan-2 and it will have the moon orbiter, lander and rover module.As per the agreement, India will be responsible for developing a moon orbiter and rover module, whereas Russia will be responsible for developing a moon lander module. Chandrayaan-2 will be launched using ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. There is no transfer of technology envisaged under this agreement.

(c) For the Chandrayaan-2 programme, several rounds of discussions and exchange of technical data have taken place between the Indian and Russian sides primarily to finalise on the various interfaces and mission related operations. The preliminary design review is presently in progress.

(d) As this is the first time India will be undertaking a moon lander-rover mission, it is likely to provide great benefit and insight into the development of moon lander configuration and its operations, in addition to generating tremendous amount of data for the scientific community. The mission will also enthuse the younger generation in taking up science as their future career.

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