NEW DELHI – India and France have agreed to expedite the process of finalizing the purchase of 126 Rafale Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), but the estimated $20 billion deal is unlikely to be signed during the current fiscal year due to lack of funds, pushing it past April 1, 2015.

NEW DELHI – India plans to assemble a consortium of private firms and state-run enterprises to make rockets and satellites in partnership with the country’s space agency over the next five years. Since its inception in the 1960s, the state-owned Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has been the sole producer of satellites and launch vehicles, besides procuring subsystems and components from the private sector and state-run companies.

India’s space program has ambitious goals, including new missions to the Moon and Mars, and improved Earth-observation, communications and GPS capabilities