Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday announced that it has signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) to collaborate on joint calibration, validation activities and scientific studies for Earth observation missions. In a statement, the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said the agreement titled “ESA–ISRO Arrangement concerning Joint Calibration and Validation Activities and Scientific Studies for Earth Observation Missions” was signed virtually on March 4 by ISRO Scientific Secretary M. Ganesh Pillai and ESA Director for Earth Observation Simonetta Cheli.
Long-standing cooperation between ISRO and ESA
According to ISRO, the new arrangement strengthens a long-standing partnership between the two agencies that began in 1978 and was later renewed in 2002. Cheli highlighted the importance of the collaboration in the context of upcoming Earth observation missions, particularly ESA’s FLEX (Fluorescence Explorer) mission, which aims to improve understanding of vegetation biology.
Pillai noted that cooperation between the two agencies spans several areas, including Earth observation, navigation, ground station support, and human spaceflight collaboration.
He also referred to ESA’s support for India’s space missions such as Chandrayaan programme and Aditya‑L1 mission, along with collaboration through ISRO’s deep-space antenna facilities.
ISRO added that the new agreement is expected to support future joint scientific studies and calibration campaigns for upcoming Earth observation missions.
ISRO successfully launched Europe’s Proba-3 satellite mission
India’s space agency, ISRO, has also successfully launched a European satellite mission called Proba‑3 mission. The mission represents a collaboration between India and Europe, highlighting India’s growing role in global space exploration. The space agency successfully placed the satellites into the designated orbit approximately 20 minutes after launch.
What is the Proba-3 mission?
The Proba-3 mission consists of two satellites — Coronagraph and Occulter — weighing 310 kg and 240 kg, respectively. These satellites will operate in close formation to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the Corona. The corona is significantly hotter than the Sun’s surface and plays an important role in understanding space weather.
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