- Moscow and New Delhi discuss cross-flights to future orbital stations as Putin arrives for a three-day visit ahead of the BRICS Summit, with space cooperation featuring alongside trade, energy and defence talks
NEW DELHI 11 SEPTEMBER 2026 (Agencies) – Russia and India are considering joint cross-flights involving mixed crews to their future national orbital stations, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said this week, as President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit and held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the BRICS Summit.
Manturov said the cooperation could eventually extend to joint scientific experiments and research between the two countries. Putin arrived at Palam Air Force Station in the early hours of Friday, marking his second visit to India in under two weeks and his first in-person attendance at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the war in Ukraine began in 2022. He was received by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, and Modi presented him with a Russian translation of the Tamil classic Thirukkural. The two leaders then held wide-ranging bilateral talks reviewing cooperation across defence, energy, space, trade and skill mobility, according to Indian officials, with the two countries working toward a bilateral trade target of 100 billion dollars by 2030, up from more than 60 billion dollars currently.
The space discussion follows a series of high-level exchanges between the two countries over recent months. In May, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited the Roscosmos Joint Industry Information Center in Russia. In August, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar travelled to Moscow to co-chair the 27th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation.
Recent cooperation between the two countries in the space sector has also involved the mutual deployment of ground stations and co-production of engines, alongside the parallel development of each country’s own national orbital station. Russia is separately working to bring its own new orbital station into service, with a scientific and power module, the first segment of the planned station, expected to launch by the end of 2027.
The deepening space relationship comes as India’s indigenous satellite navigation system, NavIC, has fallen below the threshold of operational satellites required for accurate standalone geolocation. India is weighing several options to address its satellite navigation needs, including the French-Tata venture Eutelsat, the American Starlink and Viasat systems, a planned constellation from Reliance, and potentially Russia’s upcoming Rassvet satellite navigation system.
Putin’s visit precedes the formal opening of the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13 in New Delhi, held under India’s 2026 chairmanship of the bloc. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the other leaders attending, with the summit convening at a time of heightened global tensions, including the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East.