France and India, according to Consul General of France, Dr Marjorie Vanbaelinghem, have had an intense and fruitful strategic partnership in space programmes since the ’60s.
Bengaluru :
France and India, according to Consul General of France, Dr Marjorie Vanbaelinghem, have had an intense and fruitful strategic partnership in space programmes since the ’60s. And now, an online exhibition on Indo-French partnership in space will highlight the major joint breakthroughs. Hosted by Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), it is being showcased at the International Space Conference and Exhibition from Sept. 15 to Oct. 10 and will be available on the virtual stand of CNES/France.
Vanbaelinghem points out, “It is a lesser-known part of our bilateral relationship and common history. The exhibition, which features beautiful photos, is in itself an illustration of this bond of friendship as it is a collaboration between the Alliance Francaise Hyderabad, the CNES bureau of Bangalore and the Space Museum in Hyderabad, whose curator, Pranav Sharma, gives a fascinating account of the more humane side of this enterprise.” For instance, the Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment (APPLE) – the experimental communication satellite successfully launched by Ariane-1 – from Kourou, French Guiana, on June 19, 1981, marked an important milestone in India’s space programme.
APPLE was designed and built as a sandwich passenger-carrying Meteosat on top and Capsule Ariane Technologique. VIKRAM engine was developed by India by learning from liquid propulsion technology developed by CNES and shared with India after Societe Europeenne de Propulsion (SEP)-ISRO Agreement signed in 1974.
According to Sharma, who has curated India’s first interdisciplinary Space Museum in Hyderabad and is passionate about sharing the Indian history of science, the exhibition is an attempt to explore friendship between the two countries. “This exhibition is an extension to its predecessor that was hosted at WINGS-India 2020 in Hyderabad as a travelling exhibition.
This version brings interesting insights and personal memoirs of people and their families involved during the transfer of liquid propulsion technology,” he says, adding that it’s meant for anyone, but may particularly be of interest to students and those interested in the history of science.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / September 13th, 2020