The Mexican Space Agency (AEM) has reached out to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for assistance in developing and launching a remote sensing satellite for the country.

ISRO Chairman S. Somanath and AEM Director General Dr. Salvador Landeros Ayala recently met and discussed the need for ISRO’s assistance. ISRO has said that it would investigate the possibility of implementing the idea with assistance from the Ministry of External Affairs.

The agency leaders met and spoke about the continuing collaboration operations, especially in earth observation. According to an ISRO press release, “the AEM chief thanked India’s Space Research Organization (ISRO) for developing a mobile application for forest fire monitoring and for sharing it with the Mexican Forest Department, and he requested India’s assistance in developing and launching a remote sensing satellite for Mexico.

The meeting was also attended by the Indian Ambassador to Mexico, Pankaj Sharma, and the Mexican Ambassador to the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE), Gustavo A. Cabrera Rodriguez.

ISRO and AEM inked a Scientific Cooperation Agreement on Crop Monitoring and Capacity Building in June of last year. During 2014, the two space agencies peacefully collaborated by signing a Memorandum of Understanding.

In accordance with the terms of the agreement, the two space agencies would collaborate on research into the creation of user-friendly operational tools, techniques, and procedures for agricultural drought monitoring, as well as the development of remote sensing techniques for crop monitoring using Earth Observation data for the United Mexican States.