March 15, 2024

The Ambassador of Norway to India, Her Excellency Ms May-Elin Stener, visited AntarikshBhavan and met with Shri Somanath S, Chairman of ISRO and Secretary of the Department of Space. Senior officials from ISRO and NSIL attended the meeting.

Reflecting on the longstanding positive space relations between Norway and India, opportunities for further strengthening the collaborations were discussed. Briefing the Space sector reforms and allowance of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Space, the Chairman invited Norwegian industries to increasingly engage with the Indian space program. Her Excellency acknowledged India's remarkable achievements in space and expressed Norway's interest in exploring avenues for collaboration. She noted the interest of many Norwegian industries in investing in India, highlighting India as a preferred destination for Norwegian investments.

ISRO and NSIL agreed to work with KSAT in supporting its interest in establishing a ground station in Hyderabad. Further, the Chairman presented the technical capabilities of the newly commissioned Oceansat-3 and outlined its potential benefits for Norway, particularly as a seafaring nation with a coastline comparable to India's. Her Excellency expressed keen interest in identifying a relevant Norwegian entity to take the collaboration further.