Bangalore: India today (June 22, 2004) urged the US to join hands with it for an integrated approach in certain areas of the space sector that could offer cost-effective solutions for global requirements.

At an India-US conference on space, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair identified earth observation systems; monitoring and control of environment; planetary exploration and sharing of products and services for strengthening cooperation.

Addressing the event on space science, applications and commerce, he said ISRO had a pool of resources, adding, India and the US could join hands for mutual benefit.

Launch costs in India was 70 to 80 per cent of that prevailing abroad, Nair said.

ISRO had also received enquiries for launching of medium-class satellites from Indian soil, Nair said.

From a "shoe-string" annual budget of $ 500 million (Rs 2,300 crore), ISRO had made great strides, with 39 missions on its own and four to overseas users. ISRO had created a space asset worth $ three billion, he added.

For India's proposed moon mission, Chandrayaan-I, several US universities had evinced interest in becoming co-passengers in it, Nair said.

The ISRO Chairman gave an overview of India's space programme in the last four decades, and made specific references to its EDUSAT and telemedicine projects as well as one on wasteland mapping of India.