In a move to step up space collaboration between India and the United States, NASA has officially invited ISRO to join its upcoming Moon Base project, covering everything from human spaceflight and lunar exploration to scientific research and commercial ventures.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor shared the update on Tuesday, following high-level talks in Bengaluru on August 5 and 6.
Held at ISRO’s headquarters, the two-day meeting brought together key representatives from ISRO, NASA, and the US State Department to review current joint missions and map out the next phase of India-US space ties.
“NASA has invited ISRO to join its Moon Base program, deepening the U.S.-India deep space partnership! The news came as StateDept and NASA co-chaired the 9th Civil Space Joint Working Group in Bengaluru, advancing the initiative,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
A key outcome of the discussions was NASA’s invitation to ISRO to join its Moon Base programme, reflecting growing collaboration between the two countries in lunar exploration.
The proposal builds on cooperation under the Artemis Accords, a framework designed to promote international partnerships for the peaceful exploration of the Moon and beyond.
Both sides also agreed to continue discussions on sharing open scientific data under the Artemis framework and explored opportunities for future partnerships in space science, advanced technologies and human spaceflight.
The talks come on the heels of the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, a landmark joint project aimed at monitoring changes on Earth’s surface and supporting scientific research related to natural hazards, ecosystems and environmental changes.
Officials said India and the US are now looking to build on the success of NISAR by exploring more joint space missions and collaborative initiatives in space technology.
The discussions also focused on the long-term sustainability of activities in outer space.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to the guidelines developed by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). They also reviewed ongoing multilateral efforts to promote responsible behaviour in space and strengthen the effectiveness of global space governance mechanisms.
(with IANS inputs)
