Russia lauds India’s space progress, vows deeper cooperation

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov praised India’s strides in space exploration, calling it one of the global leaders in the sector. Speaking at an event marking Cosmonautics Day at the Russian House in New Delhi, Alipov highlighted growing collaboration between the two countries, especially in India’s upcoming human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan.

“India is one of the leaders in space exploration, and Russia is learning a lot from India. We’re proud to be part of India’s forthcoming manned mission,” Alipov said, adding, “Space exploration has always united nations.”

The event also saw the unveiling of a commemorative plaque on the outer wall of the Russian House, featuring Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin — the first human in space — as well as Sergei Korolev and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who played key roles in Soviet space programmes.

Gagarin’s historic flight on April 12, 1961, when he became the first person to orbit the Earth, is celebrated annually in Russia as Cosmonautics Day, a moment of national pride.

“After his historic flight, Gagarin visited India and was welcomed with great warmth,” Alipov noted. “Our achievements made Russia a leader in space. But what’s more important today is that we continue this journey together, for peaceful and scientific purposes. Rakesh Sharma, first Indian to go into space, remains a rock-solid symbol of this friendship,” he added.

Alipov expressed confidence that cooperation would deepen in areas like manned space missions, satellite navigation and beyond.

Rajiv Kumar Jaiswal, Officer on Special Duty at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), also reflected on the Indo-Russian space partnership.

“India had no space programme when Gagarin went to space. But Russia supported us from the start — launching Aryabhata, our first satellite, in 1975, followed by Bhaskara-I and II. Today, our Gaganyaan astronauts have trained at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre,” he said.

India