Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for greater international cooperation, sustainability and inclusion in the exploration and use of outer space, saying that the growing number of actors and technologies in space requires collective responsibility.
Addressing the first International Space Summit in Paris through video conferencing, PM Modi thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for the invitation and for taking the initiative to convene the summit.
He said space, which had inspired human imagination for centuries, now plays an important role in everyday life, influencing areas ranging from climate and agriculture to oceans and communities.
“As orbits become more crowded, technologies more powerful, and actors more numerous, our choices must be clear: cooperation over confrontation; sustainability over short-term gain; and inclusion over exclusion,” PM Modi said.
India’s approach rooted in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’
The Prime Minister said India’s approach to space cooperation is rooted in the principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, or “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, and called for the same spirit to extend beyond Earth.
He said India supports a safe, secure, peaceful and sustainable space domain, anchored in international law, dialogue and multilateral cooperation.
PM Modi also stressed that scientific data should serve the common good and be shared with openness and integrity.
Highlighting India’s space journey, he said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has earned global recognition for its technological capabilities and cost-effective missions.
He noted that India’s space capabilities are being used in areas including support to farmers and fishermen, weather forecasting, disaster management and navigation.
More than 430 satellites from 34 countries have been launched aboard Indian rockets, he said, adding that ISRO’s technologies and partnerships serve India as well as the wider world.
India outlines ambitious space roadmap
PM Modi highlighted some of India’s major space achievements, including the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which made India the first country to land near the lunar south pole, and the Aditya-L1 mission studying the Sun.
He also recalled the participation of an Indian in a mission to the International Space Station last year.
Looking ahead, the Prime Minister said India aims to establish an Indian space station by 2035 and send an Indian to the Moon by 2040.
He said India’s guiding principle in these efforts remains that the benefits of space exploration should reach all of humanity.
Private sector driving India’s space ambitions
The Prime Minister also highlighted the rapid growth of India’s private space sector, saying that private enterprise is adding new momentum to the country’s space capabilities alongside ISRO.
“Today, our cooperation spans Earth observation and advanced technologies, uniting scientific excellence with human purpose,” he said, referring to the longstanding India-France space partnership.
PM Modi said France has been a trusted partner of India since the country’s space programme began at Thumba in the 1960s.
He invited France and other countries to partner with India in its next phase of space exploration and technological development.
Concluding his remarks, the Prime Minister said the Paris summit should send a clear message that countries must explore, innovate and protect space together for the benefit of present and future generations.
