Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday described India's space sector as burgeoning and said the latest announcements on cybersecurity, critical technologies, resilient supply chains, and support for India's Gaganyaan mission represent the natural evolution of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Morrison on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
Speaking to ANI, Morrison said the agreements mark the implementation phase of the broader strategic partnership between the two countries. "Highlighting all of these areas of cooperation is exactly what the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was designed to deliver. I'd call all of this implementation phase agreements, the natural outworking of being able to get the relationship to the level we were able to achieve," he said.
Space Cooperation and India's Achievements
Emphasizing space cooperation, Morrison noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has placed significant emphasis on developing India's space sector. "Another area of great interest to Prime Minister Modi is the space industry and the potential for development there, and its cooperation with Australia and others as well. India has a burgeoning space industry," he said.
Recalling his visit to India, Morrison praised the country's astronauts and its space exploration achievements, including the successful Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing mission. "When I was last in India, I met the equivalent of your astronauts, and they were very impressive young men who are involved in upcoming missions. I'll never forget when India was able to touch down on the Moon, and I'll never forget the look on Prime Minister Modi's face. He was pretty thrilled with what his nation was able to achieve, and it said a lot about the advanced space capabilities of India," he added.
Australia's Support for Gaganyaan Mission
In a major boost to India's space ambitions, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday announced the establishment of a temporary space tracking infrastructure on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to support India's maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan. The announcement came during a joint press interaction with Prime Minister Modi, who was on the second leg of his three-nation visit. The two leaders shared a warm handshake as they posed for the media in Melbourne, underscoring the deepening strategic convergence between the two democracies.
Technical Breakthroughs in India
Addressing the media, Albanese highlighted the expanding technological alignment between Canberra and New Delhi. "As we expand our cooperation in space and technology, we have agreed to commission a temporary space tracking terminal on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, which will support India's landmark Gaganyaan Human Space Flight Programme," he said. The strategic announcement coincides with significant technical breakthroughs in India, where ISRO successfully executed a pivotal validation trial of the main parachute systems designed for the Gaganyaan crew module.
