NEW YORK, SEP 20: NASA’s Indian-American senior official Amit Kshatriya has praised the growing capabilities of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), saying the US space agency is looking forward to expanding its cooperation with India in science missions and human spaceflight.
Kshatriya, NASA’s Associate Administrator and Chief Engineer, said the agency already has an “incredible collaboration” with ISRO and highlighted India’s expanding capabilities in space exploration.
“The capability that ISRO is developing, both in science missions as well as in human spaceflight, is incredible to watch,” Kshatriya said during an interaction at New York’s Intrepid Museum.
He specifically referred to NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), a joint Earth-observation mission launched in July 2025. The satellite is designed to monitor changes in the Earth’s land, ice, water and vegetation.
According to Kshatriya, NISAR benefited from a joint effort between the two space agencies. He added that NASA also works with ISRO on human spaceflight initiatives and shares experience and lessons learned from its programmes.
Kshatriya also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in space exploration, saying that leadership in space should involve shared values, norms and standards rather than simply competition over technology and equipment.
He noted that India is among the countries that have signed the Artemis Accords, a set of non-binding principles for peaceful and responsible civil space exploration.
The comments came during a panel discussion at the Intrepid Museum marking the 50th anniversary of the public rollout of Enterprise, NASA’s prototype space shuttle orbiter.
Former NASA Administrator and astronaut Charles F. Bolden Jr. and veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson also participated in the discussion.
Whitson spoke positively about her experience working with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who served as pilot of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station.
Shukla became the first Indian to visit the International Space Station and only the second Indian citizen to travel to space, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission.
Bolden also highlighted India’s achievements in planetary exploration, pointing to the success of Mangalyaan, India’s Mars Orbiter Mission. Launched in November 2013, the mission made ISRO the fourth space agency to successfully place a spacecraft in Mars orbit.
He also noted NASA’s role in supporting the mission through its Deep Space Network, which assisted with spacecraft tracking and navigation.
