India and China are to collaborate soon in space after a joint commission on space cooperation for the Brics bloc was formed at a meeting of the leading space agencies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, on Wednesday, as reported by official Chinese media.
The BRICS remote sensing constellation will include six existing satellites chipped in by the space agencies of Brics countries including the CBERS-4, a combined development by Brazil and China, Russia’s Kanopus-V-type, and China’s Gaofen-6 and Ziyuan III 02. The Indian satellites Resourcesat-2 and 2A will be part of the “virtual constellation of remote sensing satellites”.
The video meeting held on Wednesday, among the leaders of the four-space agencies, is a sign of progress in the agreement for cooperation in remote sensing satellite data sharing signed in August 2021 under India’s chairship of BRICS. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) stated in August last year that This would “contribute to strengthening multilateral cooperation among Brics space agencies in meeting the challenges faced by mankind, such as global climate change, major disasters, and environmental protection”.
The official Chinese report on the meeting did not provide a date or schedule for when the virtual satellite constellation will start functioning.
