Next Steps to Strategic Partnership

In January 2004, the United States and India agreed to expand cooperation in three specific areas: civilian nuclear activities, civilian space programs, and high-technology trade. In addition, the two countries agreed to expand our dialogue on missile defense. These areas of cooperation are designed to progress through a series of reciprocal steps that build on each other. India and US are pursuing Civil Space Cooperation under Next Steps to Strategic Partnership (NSSP). In this India and USA are working towards an arrangement to facilitate launch of US satellites and third country satellites, which contain US components. A Technology Safeguard Agreement (TSA), signed on July 20, 2009, currently enables India to launch US satellites and third country satellites, containing US components, intended for civil or non-commercial use. The ‘Commercial Space Launch Agreement (CSLA)’ was under discussion in recent times.