(MENAFN) Russia and India are preparing to dramatically accelerate their space partnership, according to the chief of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.

Details of mutually advantageous collaboration will be announced imminently, Dmitry Bakanov revealed to Izvestia on Wednesday.

"Fields for collaboration include engine building, rocket fuel, piloted spaceflight, and the development of national orbital stations," Bakanov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi for a two-day state visit on December 4. Moscow regards Putin's trip as a pivotal moment for strengthening the partnership with the South Asian power.

Putin has also signaled intentions to elevate cooperation with India through enhanced technological collaboration.

Defense and space partnerships are expected to dominate discussions during the visit. New Delhi and Moscow have maintained defense sector collaboration since the early 1960s.

In 1984, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to journey into space aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft.

Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut designated to visit the International Space Station (ISS), completed rigorous training alongside three colleagues at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow in 2020.

Russia is also supporting India on its forthcoming human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan.

In January, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully completed the in-orbit docking of its SpaDeX satellites, making India the fourth country to achieve the milestone after Russia, the US, and China.

The achievement is considered crucial for India's future space endeavors, such as building its own space station and sending an astronaut to the Moon.

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