India and France are stepping up cooperation in the space sector, with companies from the two countries signing three new agreements covering satellite launches, space surveillance and microsatellite technology, according to an official announcement.
The deals, unveiled at the International Space Summit in Paris, comprise contracts exceeding 5 million euros between France’s Safran Space and India’s Dhruva Space for technologies destined for India’s planned constellation of 52 space-surveillance satellites.
These fresh agreements build on more than fifty years of space collaboration between India and France, centered on the longstanding partnership between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and France’s space agency CNES.
The inaugural International Space Summit is taking place from September 9 to 10, convening government representatives, private companies, space agencies, and scientists.
During the event, 51 announcements were made, amounting to roughly 20 billion euros in contracts, investments, and other pledges.
Safran Space has entered into agreements exceeding 5 million euros with Indian space firm Dhruva Space to deliver communication systems, inertial navigation units, optical payloads, and ground stations for India’s planned SBS-III space-surveillance constellation.
According to the announcement, the constellation is expected to comprise 52 satellites launched between 2027 and 2030.
The collaboration is intended to bolster India’s sovereign space capabilities and represents a further deepening of ties between French industry and India’s expanding New Space sector.
The agreement further reinforces Safran's long-term role in India's space programme, notably through its support for the Chandrayaan-III lunar mission and the growth of its industrial footprint in the country.
In a separate significant arrangement, French launch service provider RIDE! has entered into a contract to place two satellites into orbit for TakeMeToSpace, an Indian firm billed as the nation's first developer of orbital data centres.
According to summit announcements, the agreement extends a multi-year collaboration between RIDE! and Indian space enterprises, notably the recent integration, launch, and recovery of a European atmospheric re-entry capsule using India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
In a separate development, French space firm U-Space and Indian company AXISCADES have entered into a commercial partnership to tap into India’s microsatellite market and meet rising demand from both commercial and institutional customers.
The collaboration will proceed through a phased roadmap aligned with India’s "Make in India" initiative, merging French space technology with India’s strengths in industrial integration.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), space cooperation between India and France has steadily broadened over the years to encompass Earth observation, space geodesy, human spaceflight, advanced launch vehicle technologies, and planetary exploration.
India and France have launched a Strategic Space Dialogue that encompasses both civil and defence space collaboration. The inaugural round took place in Paris in June 2023, followed by a second round in New Delhi in March 2024, according to the MEA.
ISRO and CNES have signed agreements related to next-generation launch vehicle technologies, the joint TRISHNA Earth observation mission, as well as cooperation on maritime domain awareness and space situational awareness.