NASA suspended collaboration with its Indian counterpart in one region in the immediate consequences of India’s last month’s anti-satellite trial, only to re-establish it in a less than a week later period. In a last month’s letter to K. Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Al Condes, Associate Administrator, International and Interagency Relations, NASA, proclaimed that the space agency has decided to cancel its involvement in a working group between the two agencies associated with the human spaceflight problems.
This announcement was done just two days following India disclosed that it was successful in intercepting one of its satellites with a ground-launched missile. In the letter provided to SpaceNews by NASA, Condes wrote that the human spaceflight is just unsuited with the decisive creation of orbital debris produced by anti-satellite testing. He added that thus the Administrator has asked him to notify that NASA is immediately canceling activities under latest the NASA–ISRO Human Space Flight Working Group.
On a similar note, ISRO came into the news as it updated on its “Young Scientist Program.” Reportedly, this program is named as “YUva VIgyani KAryakram” (YUVIKA 2019). The Indian space agency published the list of temporarily selected students for the program, two days following the online registration for the same ended. As the agency had obligated, about 3 students from each Union or State Territory have been picked to show their participation in this program. Reportedly, this program is based on the applicant’s performance in the 8th Standard. The performance includes both extracurricular activities and academic. In total, about 105 student names were updated in the list.
The provisionally selected students are now supposed to be asked to e-mail the attested copies of their relevant certificates. Furthermore, ISRO stated that the concluding selection list is supposed to be revealed on April 13, 2019, following the certificates verification provided by the students is completed.
