Space exploration cooperation agreement signed while Netanyahu in India
“The intention is not only to promote cooperation between the two institutions, but also among the academic institutions and various companies in the industry."
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHUpdated: JANUARY 19, 2018 21:14A satellite(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Haifa’s Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Space Science and Space Technology, under the auspices of India’s Science Ministry, signed a Memorandum of Understanding during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India, which establishes cooperation in the field of space exploration.The agreement between the Technion and the Indian Science Ministry was initiated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July of last year. The head of the Israel Space Agency, Avi Blassberger, and the vice president of the Indian Space Agency, I.O.Sharma, signed it.Prof. Pini Gurfil, head of the Technion’s Asher Institute for Space Research, said, “The intention is not only to promote cooperation between the two institutions, but also among the academic institutions and various companies in the industry. India is very strong in the launching field; at the end of this year, three Israeli- built nano-satellites will fly in the first flight formation of its kind in history. I believe that the agreement just signed will enable us to progress more effectively in such research and applied contexts.”The Indian Institute of Space Science and Space Technologies was founded in 2007 as the first space university in Asia. Its goal is to provide quality education in the field of space science and space technologies for the benefit of the Indian space program. The partnership with the Technion is based on the activities of the Asher Institute and the fact that the Technion is the only Israeli university that has an aerospace engineering faculty.The cooperation between the institutions will include joint academic tracks and research activities involving students and faculty from both institutions as well as scientists from the Indian Space Agency. The two institutions will hold student exchanges, offer post-doctoral fellowships, open the possibility of a dual academic degree (from both institutions) and encourage reciprocal visits by scientists from both institutions as well as video-conference calls.
