if one thought that the Indian Space Research Organisation (isro) getting a us $10 million contract to launch an European satellite is a pleasant aberration, then wait and watch. Many more such surprises are in store. Discussions held during a recent conference indicate that isro may soon be rubbing shoulders with the us space organisations, even for launching us satellites. If this materialises, it would be a perfect role reversal for isro, which had approached the us National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa) some 25 years ago to build and launch its first communication satellite, insat-1a.

The conference, held from June 21-25, 2004, also proved that the stringent sanctions imposed on India by the us in the wake of 1998 nuclear tests are a thing of the past. A high-powered us delegation descended on Antariksh Bhavan