Australia to Set Up Space Tracking Station on Cocos Islands for India's Gaganyaan Mission

During a joint statement with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the establishment of a temporary space tracking infrastructure on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to support India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.

“As we expand our cooperation in space and technology, we have agreed to commission a temporary space tracking terminal on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, which will support India’s landmark Gaganyaan Human Space Flight Programme,” Albanese said.

The facility will ensure continuous communication with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) crew module during its initial uncrewed test flights and subsequent crewed missions when it orbits Earth.

The announcement came during the “Melbourne Meets Modi” event, where PM Modi highlighted India's recent achievements in space exploration. “You have also seen that India successfully landed Chandrayaan on the Moon’s south pole. No other country has achieved this. But India was not satisfied with only this achievement. Because India believes - 'Grow More, Achieve More'. That is why India is now preparing to send its Gaganyaan mission into space. India is also moving towards the goal of building its own space station,” he said.

Modi described the outcomes from his talks with Albanese as “unparalleled”, especially in areas such as renewable energy, climate action, nuclear energy, critical minerals, technology, and education.

The temporary tracking terminal on the Cocos Islands will play a crucial role in the Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send Indian astronauts into space. The project marks a significant milestone in India's space programme and underscores the growing collaboration between India and Australia in space technology.