'Commitment Stands Strong': US Ambassador Eric Garcetti On Meeting ISRO Chairman S Somanath

Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to India visited the headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru on May 24. He had an interaction with ISRO Chairman and Secretary Dr S Somanath. Somanath was the driving force behind the success of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. Under his leadership alongside other ISRO members, the spacecraft made a smooth landing on the Moon’s southern pole. Eric Garcetti’s formal meet-up with S Somanath was of great importance as the visit marked the ongoing space collaboration between the United States and India.

Sharing a set of pictures from the occasion on X (formerly Twitter), Eric Garcetti said that he was “honoured” to meet S Somanath in person. “Honored to meet ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath and team! From advancing the NISAR satellite to fostering human spaceflight and promoting commercial space endeavors, the US-India Space commitment stands strong and is advancing our shared goals within the #USIndia Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET),” read his note.

The photographs captured Eric Garcetti shaking hands with one of the ISRO members. The US Ambassador to India took a stroll inside the ISRO premises, watching the intergalactic and space-oriented illustrations keenly.

As per the official press release, the ISRO delegations and Eric Garcetti engaged in discussions about the objectives and common interests of India and the US in the advancing sectors of technology, space science and space industry. Talks centered around Chandrayaan-3’s Laser Reflectometer Array implementation, the active affiliations through several Joint Working Groups, NISAR and the Artemis Accord among others.

Eric Garcetti heaped praise on ISRO’s umpteen contributions to international space exploration as well as their past achievements. Talking about the future plans, both parties agreed on introducing space specialists to visit each other’s countries. They also gave their consent to continuing balloon tests and identifying milestone events. ISRO emphasised the need for easy accessibility to crucial supplies and components to speed up cooperative missions.

Eric Garcetti wrapped up his ISRO visit with the promise to forge a deeper and strengthened bond between India and the US in the space field. Both parties look forward to their upcoming collaborative ventures.