12 - 08 - 2026

NASA Invites ISRO to Join Moon Base Programme as India-US Space Partnership Enters New Phase

NASA has invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to participate in its Moon Base programme, opening a new chapter in the rapidly deepening civil and commercial space partnership between India and the United States.

The invitation was extended during the ninth meeting of the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group, held in Bengaluru on August 5 and 6. The meeting brought together senior officials from both countries to discuss expanding cooperation in lunar exploration, human spaceflight, scientific data sharing and future joint missions.

According to a read-out issued by the US Embassy in India, “NASA invited ISRO to join its Moon Base program, building on the two countries’ partnership under the Artemis Accords.” The two sides also agreed to advance discussions on cooperation involving open scientific data sharing under the Artemis framework.

Artemis Accords

The proposed collaboration builds on India’s 2023 decision to join the Artemis Accords, the US-led framework that establishes common principles for peaceful civil exploration of the Moon and other celestial bodies. India became the 27th country to sign the accords; the grouping has since expanded to 70 countries.

The latest development reflects a broader transformation in India-US space relations. In 2023, the two countries also agreed to develop a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation. As part of that effort, NASA provided advanced training to Indian astronauts, contributing to the eventual flight of Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station in 2025 aboard a privately operated mission.

The partnership reached another major milestone with the launch of NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), a joint Earth-observation mission designed to provide high-resolution radar observations of changes on Earth’s surface.

“The August 5-6 meeting focused on further expanding commercial and civil space cooperation between the two countries. The two sides also spoke on furthering joint missions to the Moon and beyond, and identified the areas in which the two countries could share their expertise and knowledge,” an ISRO scientist said.

The scientist added that NISAR’s data-sharing arrangements and mission operations were discussed in depth, describing the project as a successful joint venture that could provide a foundation for more complex collaborations.

“NISAR’s data sharing and operations were discussed in-depth. It is seen as a successful joint venture and could pave the way for more such complex space missions, including the human space flight mission and building the lunar base,” the scientist said.

The invitation comes as both countries pursue ambitious lunar exploration programmes. NASA’s Artemis programme aims to return humans to the Moon and establish the capabilities required for sustained lunar exploration. India, meanwhile, is pursuing its Gaganyaan human-spaceflight programme and has set an objective of sending Indian astronauts to the lunar surface by 2040.

The Bengaluru meeting was co-chaired by M. Sankaran, Director of ISRO’s UR Rao Satellite Centre; Wesley Brooks, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; and Kathleen Karika, NASA Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations.

The US Embassy said the discussions advanced civil and commercial space cooperation under the US-India Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology (TRUST) Initiative, in line with the February 2025 joint statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

Beyond lunar exploration, the two sides discussed expanding cooperation following NISAR, pursuing future science and human-spaceflight technology collaborations, and advancing international guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer-space activities.

NASA’s invitation therefore represents more than an additional lunar mission opportunity. It signals a shift towards a deeper strategic partnership in which India could contribute its growing capabilities in spacecraft, lunar exploration, Earth observation, human spaceflight and mission operations to an emerging international architecture for sustained activity around and on the Moon.

By Subramanya Joshi