India keen to take space ties with UAE to 'newer heights', says Union MoS Jitendra Singh

Union MoS Jitendra Singh (left) at the Abu Dhabi Space Debate in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Dec 5, 2022

India is keen to take its ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the space sector to "newer heights", said Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, while speaking at the Abu Dhabi Space Debate (ADSD) on December 5.

The India-UAE space ties were enhanced five years ago, Singh said, referring to the launch of Emirates' first nanosatellite - ‘Nayif-1’ by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in February 2017.

"The space sector of India and the UAE has commonalities", the minister said, adding that the combined energy can be harnessed.

Both the countries are counted among those who "respect the international law", and are driven by the goal to "serve humanity" with their space programmes, he added.

Singh was among the keynote speakers at ADSD, which is being organised by the UAE government in Abu Dhabi on December 5-6 to advance the dialogue on global space economy, and the increasing role of private players in the space sector.

Singh, during his address, noted that the Indian government has brought policy amendments to facilitate the entry of not only local startups in the space sector, but also to "facilitate the entry of foreign private players".

The Centre had, in June 2020, given its nod for the creation of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (In-SPACe), to bring private players into the country's state-led space sector.

The minister also stressed that the Indian space industry is renowned across the globe for two things – "reliability and economy". The country has the "maximum success ratio in the world" for its flagship space launching vehicle – Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV, he pointed out.

Earlier, Israel President Isaac Herzgov, while speaking at the event, said India has a strong space programme driven by its "immense" tech prowess and the "wisdom" of its space sector leaders.

India, the UAE, and Israel should further deepen their space ties and they, along with other partner countries, "can lead the world" in the space sector.

Notably, the three nations are part of the I2U2 quadrilateral group - the fourth member being the United States - formed in October 2021. In a joint statement issued in July 2022, the group said it would "focus on joint investments and new initiatives" in an array of sectors, including "space".

Separately, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the UAE and India came into effect in May this year. The signing of this pact "has opened up more frontiers for us to start working on diversifying portfolio of how we cooperate and collaborate", Emirati Minister of State for Advanced Technology, Sarah Al-Amiri said, while speaking to Moneycontrol at the sidelines of ADSD.

Technology is an area towards which the UAE is "looking at seriously" for further collaboration with India, Amiri said. "I do agree with the Indian minister (Singh) on expanding our capabilities and also expanding our partnership in the space sector".