India, Australia Sign Five Space Deals at Bengaluru Space Expo

India and Australia's space cooperation gained fresh momentum on September 8, 2026, when five industry partnerships were announced at the Bengaluru Space Expo. The agreements span satellite infrastructure, spacecraft recovery, spaceport activities, research collaboration and advanced manufacturing, reflecting the growing space ecosystem and expanding commercial space activity between the two countries.

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission, Austrade, led a 12-member Australian space industry delegation to the expo, including institutions and companies working in Earth observation, reusable spacecraft recovery and commercial space operations. The most significant agreement was between Australian Earth-observation company LatConnect 60 and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO's commercial arm, under which LatConnect 60's SWIRSAT mission will use NSIL's ground-station infrastructure in India for operations and data downlink.

Several other agreements focused on recovery, spaceport activity and research. Space Angel Group Pty Ltd signed an agreement with Hyderabad-based Andura Expeditions covering spaceport activities, spacecraft testing, high-altitude drop-test missions and hypersonic recovery, and separately worked with Chennai's Inbound Aerospace on the recovery of autonomous reusable capsules and microgravity payloads. Space Angel Group also formed a partnership with Vijayawada-based Red Balloon Aerospace Private Limited focused on future commercial space missions, including the safe recovery of spacecraft and of resources obtained from asteroids and other celestial bodies.

On the research side, the University of Western Australia and the Space Industry Association of India announced cooperation under the university's Global Engagement Alliance, covering education, research, industry contact and knowledge exchange. Australian High Commissioner Philip Green, speaking at the expo on September 7, also noted Australia's tracking and module-recovery support for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.