Indonesia’s space agency, LAPAN, reported that it has begun discussions with Russia on space-related collaborations, especially in remote sensing.
LAPAN announced yesterday that Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Mikhail Galuzin paid a visit to the LAPAN headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, to discuss collaborations in the areas of aerospace and astronautics.
Galuzin was received by the Head of LAPAN Prof. Dr. Thomas Djamaluddin, Deputy Head of Remote Sensing Dr. Orbita Roswintiarti and Deputy Head of Space Technology Dr. Rika Andiarti.
Galuzin expressed his appreciation towards a warm reception and said he looked forward to further cooperation in the space arena. Djamaluddin, in turn, elaborated on LAPAN’s core competencies in four areas – astrophysics, atmospheric sciences, space and aerospace technologies, and remote sensing.
During the meeting, Galuzin selected several key areas of potential collaboration between LAPAN and Russia, one of which is a ground station for remote sensing, which had previously been discussed. Djamaluddin said LAPAN is in the process of choosing an appropriate location for the station.
Galuzin concluded his visit by saying that Russia sees great partnership potential in LAPAN. For this reason, Russia hopes to expand the scope of their cooperation as rapidly as possible.
This announcement comes a year after Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s visit to Russia, where he presented President Vladimir Putin with a list of defense equipment to be purchased from Russia. The confidential agreement has not been made public; representatives of both nations, including Galuzin, have remained tight-lipped on the details of the deal.
