India-France Space Talks Ahead of Paris International Space Summit

India and France held a bilateral space meeting on 4 September 2026. It was held virtually. The Indian side was led by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, who is also Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office and for Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space. France was represented by Prof Philippe Baptiste, its Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space.

Two events set the timing

The meeting was held before two events. The International Space Summit is to be held in Paris on 9 and 10 September 2026. The Bengaluru Space Expo is to be held from 7 to 9 September 2026. India's role at the Paris Summit and France's role at the Bengaluru Expo were both discussed.

The keynote invitation

The most quotable point for an exam is this. The Chairman of ISRO, who is also Secretary of the Department of Space, has been invited to deliver the opening keynote at the Paris Summit. The subject of that keynote is India's future human spaceflight in Low Earth Orbit. Dr Jitendra Singh added that Indian delegates could also present on design and manufacturing technologies in space, on connectivity from space, and on exploration beyond the International Space Station.

What India welcomed

• Proposed Summit outcomes on the sustainable use of outer space.
• Accessibility, openness and integrity of space-based scientific data.
• Support for the International Telecommunication Union's regulatory framework for frequency management.

Prof Baptiste thanked India for the proposed video message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Summit.

Dates and names to memorise

The older partnership

The release notes that the space partnership between the two countries spans nearly six decades. Cooperation between ISRO and the French agency CNES has produced the joint satellite missions Megha-Tropiques and SARAL. Both sides are also pursuing further work in Earth observation and in climate-related applications. Prof Baptiste is scheduled to visit India from 28 to 30 September 2026, when he has expressed interest in seeing ISRO facilities in Bengaluru.