India, as well as China, are one step closer to cooperating in space following the establishment of an agreement on a joint space commission cooperation within Brics was established. Brics bloc was formed at an event of the most powerful agency in space, Brazil, Russia, India, and China on Wednesday, as per an official report from Chinese media.
Two orbiting Indian satellites Resources at-2 and 2A will form included in the “virtual constellation of remote sensing satellites” which will be an information-sharing mechanism between the BRICS nations.
The BRICS remote sensing constellation will consist of six satellites provided by the space agencies of the Brics countries including CBERS-4 jointly created through Brazil and China the Kanopus-V type satellite of Russia with the Chinese Gaofen-6 with Ziyuan III 02, official Chinese media reported.
The Wednesday session that was recorded via video link between the chiefs of four agencies in space is a continuation of the agreement for collaboration in satellite remote sensing data sharing that was signed on the 18th of 18 August 2021, under the leadership of India’s BRICS.
The agreement of August 2021 allowed the creation of a virtual constellation of remote sensing satellites belonging to Brics Space agencies.
“This will 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,” an official statement from the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) released in August of this year.
In the joint commission’s inaugural session via videoconference, Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Wednesday that the CNSA will steer the sharing of remote sensing data to help improve the socio-economic growth of the Brics countries and address the common challenges of the effects of climate change, disaster relief and protection of the environment.
A formal Chinese report of the meeting didn’t provide any timeframe for when the satellite network would be operational.
A move forward on the mechanism could be anticipated during the forthcoming BRICS leaders’ summit scheduled to take place in late June.
According to Isro the satellite Resources at-2A was launched in the year 2016 and is one of two Indian satellites within the constellation, is cloud-free information for many operations-related applications, like an estimation of crop production and forest cover mapping. It also assists in monitoring and mapping water and land resources, urban and rural development plans, and assistance with disaster management.
The two Indian satellites can be “extremely useful for monitoring vegetation and water resources,” according to Isro.
India and China’s cooperation in space have not been able to take off, even though the Sino-Indian Joint Commission on Space Cooperation was set up in the year 2015.
The agreement – called the 15-2020 Space Cooperation Outline – was made by Isro and CNSA during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to China in the year 2015.
“The two sides agreed to reinforce the cooperation in the field of Satellite Remote Sensing, Space-Based meteorology, Space Science, Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, Satellite Navigation, Space Components, Piggy-back Launching Services, and Education and Training,” the agreement stated.