PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi Thursday extended ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ to the domain of space, inviting France and the world to be co-travellers in India’s next space frontier.

The PM said France has always been a trusted partner since the inception of the Indian space programme at Thumba in the 1960s. “Today, our cooperation spans Earth observation and advanced technologies, uniting scientific excellence with human purpose. We invite France and the world to be co-travellers in India’s next space frontier,” he said in his video address at the International Space Summit held in Paris.

The PM thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for inviting him to the summit. “Let the Space Summit in Paris send a clear message: we will explore together, innovate together and protect space together, for all humanity, and for generations to come,” he said.

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Speaking about India’s space programme, Modi said India has an international footprint when it comes to launch services, having placed in orbit 430 payloads from 34 countries. “ISRO, which stands at the heart of this journey, has earned global admiration for its excellence and cost-effective missions,” he said. The PM went on to mention the ambitious future targets of the space agency — establishing an indigenous space station by 2035 and sending an astronaut to the Moon by 2040. “In all these efforts, our guiding principle has been clear: their benefits must reach all humanity,” he said.

In his address, he stressed the need for global partnerships prioritising long-term sustainability over short-term gains in light of orbits becoming more crowded, technologies more powerful and actors more numerous. He also said there was a need for transparent research, noting that the ethical sharing of information was paramount for global progress. “Scientific data must serve the common good, with openness and integrity.”

Modi invoked the spirit of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam (Whole world is one family) as the guiding philosophy for space activities and said ISRO was guided by the same spirit. “Scientific data must serve the common goal, with openness and integrity,” he said.

The two-day summit, which began on Wednesday, has been organised by France to initiate a regular international talks on the future of space exploration, and evolving structure of the space economy. It has seen participation from over 120 countries.