Saralnama
India has invited Russian companies to invest in its innovative space ventures and access its large market, announced Ambassador Vinay Kumar at the Indian Embassy in Russia during the second National Space Day event. The government has introduced attractive schemes to foster a supportive environment for the space industry. The event commemorated the deployment of the Pragyan Rover on the Moon via Chandrayaan-3 in August 2023. Ambassador Kumar highlighted the longstanding space cooperation between India and Russia, recalling the launch of India’s first satellite Aryabhata on a Soviet rocket in 1975, Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 Soyuz T-11 mission, and ongoing collaboration on the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. Officials and experts from Russia’s Roscosmos, closely working with ISRO, attended the function. Kumar also noted that space has been part of Indian tradition since the Vedic period, with scholars like Aryabhata studying celestial movements. The event featured space-themed cultural performances by students from the Embassy-run Kendriya Vidyalaya and members of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre. (Updated 28 Aug 2025, 11:14 IST; source: link)