India-France: Joint Issue of a Commemorative Postage stamp on space cooperation

The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India released a Commemorative Postage Stamp on India-France: Joint Issue in the presence of President of France on 10th April 2015. It’s the first time when India is again releasing a joint stamp with the same country. Earlier India- France joint stamps were released in 2003.

India and France heralded a new era of bilateral cooperation with the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 1947.Since then , the extent and scope of cooperation between the two countries has grown steadily and the bilateral relations between the two countries have now expanded in many areas ranging from trade and investment, culture, science and technology and education to space cooperation. Space cooperation between India and France has already turned 50, making it India’s oldest and most important collaboration with a European nation.

Megha-Tropiques is an Indo-French Joint Satellite Mission launched on October 12, 2011 for studying the water cycle and energy exchanges in the tropics.

The Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA (SARAL) is a joint Indo-French satellite mission launched on 25th February,2013 for oceanographic studies. SARAL is designed to perform altimetric measurements designed to study ocean circulation and sea surface elevation and has three payloads-two developed by CNES and one by ISRO.

Department of Posts is happy to release a set of two stamps and miniature sheet on the theme of India-France: 50 Years of Space Cooperation featuring one stamp each on the two satellites Megha-Tropiques and SARAL. (Source: http://postagestamps.gov.in/NewsPage.aspx?uid=53)