Bengaluru : India and the United States are set to deepen their cooperation in human spaceflight, scientific research, lunar exploration and commercial space activities, with NASA inviting the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to participate in its proposed Moon Base Programme.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said the invitation was extended during high-level bilateral discussions held in Bengaluru earlier this month.
Two-Day Space Cooperation Meeting
A two-day meeting was held on August 5 and 6 at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru, bringing together officials from ISRO, NASA and the US State Department.
The discussions focused on reviewing ongoing projects and identifying new areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Gor said on X that NASA’s invitation to ISRO to participate in its Moon Base Programme would further strengthen the US-India deep-space partnership.
The discussions were held during the 9th Civil Space Joint Working Group, co-chaired by the US State Department and NASA as part of efforts to advance the US-India TRUST initiative.
Cooperation Under Artemis Accords
The proposed collaboration on lunar exploration is expected to build on cooperation under the Artemis Accords, an international framework aimed at promoting peaceful exploration of the Moon and beyond.
India and the US also agreed to continue discussions on open scientific data sharing under the Artemis framework and explore future partnerships in:
- Space science
- Advanced space technologies
- Human spaceflight
- Lunar exploration
- Commercial space activities
NISAR Mission Strengthens Partnership
The discussions come shortly after the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, one of the major joint space projects between the two countries.
NISAR is designed to monitor changes on Earth’s surface and support scientific research related to natural hazards, ecosystems and environmental changes.
Officials said India and the US are looking to build on the mission’s success through additional joint missions and space technology initiatives.
Focus on Sustainable Space Activities
Long-term space sustainability was another important subject discussed during the meeting.
India and the US reaffirmed their commitment to guidelines developed through the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Both countries also reviewed ongoing multilateral efforts aimed at promoting responsible behaviour in space and strengthening global space-governance mechanisms.
A New Phase in India-US Space Partnership
NASA’s invitation to ISRO for its Moon Base Programme could mark another significant step in the expanding India-US strategic space partnership.
From Earth-observation missions such as NISAR to lunar exploration and human spaceflight, the two countries are increasingly looking at long-term cooperation that could shape their respective roles in the next phase of deep-space exploration.
