India-France TRISHNA mission to map Earth’s water and heat
NEW DELHI: India and France are advancing their decades-long space collaboration into a new phase, with the joint TRISHNA Earth observation satellite on track for a 2027 launch from Sriharikota and expanding cooperation in human spaceflight.
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Space Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the progress during a meeting with a high-level French delegation led by Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space Philippe Baptiste in New Delhi on Monday.
The discussions covered the TRISHNA mission, support for India’s Gaganyaan programme, microgravity research, start-up collaboration and the broader India-France Year of Innovation 2026.
TRISHNA: Mapping Earth’s Water and Energy Budgets
TRISHNA (Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment) is the third joint satellite mission between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the French space agency CNES.
It is designed to deliver high spatial resolution (better than 60 metres) and frequent revisits to monitor Earth’s surface temperature, emissivity, biophysical and radiation variables.
The satellite will provide detailed data on surface energy and water budgets at regional to global scales. Key applications include assessing urban heat islands, detecting thermal anomalies related to volcanic activity and geothermal resources, monitoring snow-melt runoff and glacier dynamics, tracking vegetation water stress and evapotranspiration, and supporting agriculture, water resource management and climate studies. It will also generate information on aerosol optical depth, atmospheric water vapour and cloud cover.
Dr. Singh said the realisation of TRISHNA is progressing well. The mission builds on earlier successful Indo-French Earth observation satellites such as Megha-Tropiques and SARAL. An outreach event on the Water Cycle and TRISHNA Mission is scheduled in Bengaluru on 11 October 2026.
Expanding into Human Spaceflight
France continues to support India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. CNES has supplied consumables and is assisting with the training of flight surgeons. Indian and French teams have also begun discussions on microgravity research and parabolic flights linked to human spaceflight.
Baptiste described TRISHNA as a strong example of what the two countries can achieve together and welcomed deeper collaboration in astronaut health, microgravity research and parabolic flights.
From Sounding Rockets to a Broader Ecosystem
India-France space cooperation dates back to the 1960s, when the two countries conducted joint sounding rocket experiments.
It has since expanded to joint satellite missions, launch vehicle technologies (notably the French Viking engine that evolved into India’s Vikas engine) and now human spaceflight and emerging applications.
Dr. Singh noted that India’s space-sector reforms have created a vibrant private ecosystem, with more than 400 Indian space start-ups working in rocket building, satellite development and space applications.
He said the next phase of bilateral cooperation can bring together government institutions, industry and start-ups from both sides to create a larger resource pool and innovation ecosystem.
The meeting also touched on the Space Summit, scientific cooperation through CEFIPRA, the blue economy and the India-France Year of Innovation 2026, which provides a platform to deepen collaboration in space, science, technology and related fields.
The partnership reflects a relationship built on long-term trust and shared scientific goals. TRISHNA addresses critical challenges of water scarcity, climate change and resource management by filling a gap between high-resolution but infrequent observations and frequent but coarse-resolution data currently available from space.
As both countries prepare for the 2027 launch and explore new areas of human spaceflight and private-sector engagement, the collaboration is set to deliver practical benefits for water security, agriculture, urban planning and climate adaptation while strengthening the strategic and technological ties between India and France.
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