Synopsis US space agency’s chief economist Alexander MacDonald said space has been highlighted as a very significant area of collaboration between India and the US as part of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET). We should never forget that space is a place where we are able to cooperate regardless of other challenges, Alexander MacDonald said. Nasa will host Gaganyaan astronauts for advanced training—this is the first step in a long-term association on human space flight, the US space agency’s chief economist Alexander MacDonald told ET in an interview at the ET GBS. He said Nasa has succeeded in commercial human space flight because it has embraced partnership with the private sector, a template that India is also following. Edited excerpts: How do you see the future of Indian-US cooperation in the arena of space? We had the Isro chairman visiting Nasa acouple of weeks ago and we had the India-US civil space dialogue. One of the announcements from that meeting was a commitment to host Gaganyaan astronauts at Nasa for advanced training. This is the first step in what is hoped to be a long-term association related to human space flight. We need to be able to work together to live together in space. Is the current geopolitical environment with regard to Russia and China impacting international space cooperation? It is really important to remember that we still operate the International Space Centre with our European, Japanese and Russian partners. We should never forget that space is a place where we are able to cooperate regardless of other challenges. Upholding that ideal remains more valuable now than ever. What are your thoughts on the arming of space and the challenges? The challenge with any conflict in space is that at a practical level it has the potential to threaten the life of an astronaut. If there is space debris in lower orbit, that can threaten an astronaut from any country. A future Gaganyaan astronaut who would be in lower earth orbit could be threatened by debris generated through any conflict in space. Beyond Gaganyaan, what can India and the US do together in space? Space has been highlighted as a very significant area of collaboration between India and the US as part of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET). From Nasa’s side, the hosting of Gaganyaan astronauts is one area. Another area is bringing together US and Indian companies to discuss potential areas of collaboration and supply chain integration related to our commercial lunar payload services activity. That is our programme to purchase services from US commercial companies to deliver payloads to the moon. Don’t miss out on ET Prime stories! Get your daily dose of business updates on WhatsApp. click here! Sunday, 19 Feb, 2023 Experience Your Economic Times Newspaper, The Digital Way! Read Complete Print Edition » Front Page Pure Politics Around The World Deep Dive More India Poised to be Global Contender in Telecom Tech India is set to emerge as a major telecom technology exporter with the development of the 4G and 5G stack, in which several countries have shown interest, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union minister for communications, railways, electronics and information technology. On Track to Build 200k km of National Highways by 2025 India is building roads at a record rate and the country’s national highway network will rise 37% in the next two years, said Nitin Gadkari, minister of road transport and highways. India Part of Group Shaping Future of Tech India will be among nations that shape the future of products, devices and technologies, said minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Read More News on et gbs 2023 nasa alexander macdonald gaganyaan international space centre orbit (Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times . ) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News. . . . more less ETPrime stories of the day Real Estate Interest rates are rising, so are rental yields. Is it the right time to invest in property? 8 mins read 3 insights to kick-start your day, featuring Swiggy’s “poor judgement” 3 mins read Strategy Stock Radar: Technical charts suggest HDFC Bank is likely to hit fresh record highs in next 3-6 months; time to buy? 3 mins read Subscribe to ETPrime.