July 15: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met Mr Thomas Pesquet, a French aerospace engineer, pilot, and European Space Agency astronaut and actor, in Paris on 14 July 2023.
Prime Minister shared with Mr Pesquet India’s progress in the space sector, particularly in promoting startups and encouraging greater private sector participation. Prime Minister invited Mr Pesquet to visit India to motivate the youth as well as explore space sector collaborations.
Mr Pesquet shared with Prime Minister his experiences as an astronaut and discussed possible contours of future space programs and technologies.