NEW DELHI, February 28. /TASS/. Russia and India plan to expand cooperation in space exploration, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev said, addressing the NXT Forum 2025 in the Indian capital.

He noted that Russia-India cooperation in space dates back to the Soviet era and it continues to develop now. "India has great capabilities, in particular as regards microelectronics and programming, while we have our space flight technology," the cosmonaut said. "We will likely collaborate on the Lunar base, on flights to Mars, and on further exploration of the Solar system," he added. "We will act very closely in the space sphere," Artemyev said with confidence.

He highlighted that the two countries have shared values, making their alliance a natural one. "India and Russia value peace, friendship and family values. Therefore, we maintain a strong allied relationship. And whatever we do, we will certainly do it together," he concluded.

Artemyev backs India’s space program, and hopes that the country can send astronauts into the cosmos soon.

In August 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that his country would orbit its first crewed spacecraft by August 2022. However, the Gaganyaan mission was put off amid the coronavirus pandemic. Four Indian space crew members have already undergone training at Russia’s Zvezdny Gorodok outside Moscow where a key Russian space training facility is located and are currently continuing training in India.