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| Representatives
of ISRO and ESA at the signing ceremony
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ISRO
has signed a cooperative agreement with the European Space
Agency (ESA). This renews the arrangements for cooperation
between the two agencies in the peaceful uses of outer space
for mutual benefit. ISRO Chairman Dr K Kasturirangan, chairman
signed the cooperative agreement on behalf of ISRO while Jean-Pol
Poncelet,
director, strategy and external relations of ESA signed the
agreement on behalf of Prof Antonio Rodota, director general
of ESA.
The umbrella agreement enables ISRO and ESA to carry out programmes
of common interest in space science and applications including
communication, remote sensing for monitoring the environment
and corresponding data processing, meteorology and navigation,
and life and material sciences under microgravity conditions.
The
agreement was signed at ISRO headquarters in Bangalore.
ISRO and ESA have a long-standing cooperation. ISRO's first
experimental communication satellite (APPLE) was launched
on board ESA's Ariane Launch Vehicle in 1981. Ariane has
also launched several INSATs of ISRO. Many ISRO scientists
have received training in ESA's laboratories. ISRO receives
microwave remote sensing data from ESA's ERS-1 and ERS-2
satellites which is used for several applications. ISRO
has launched ESA's PROBA satellite on board its PSLV in
October 2001. The cooperative agreement will renew these
activities.
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