NASA invites ISRO to join Moon Base programme as India, US deepen space cooperation

NASA has invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to join its Moon Base programme as India and the United States stepped up discussions on future science and human spaceflight technology partnerships.

The invitation was extended during the ninth meeting of the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group, held at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on August 5-6, according to a US Embassy press release on Tuesday



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The two sides also agreed to advance discussions on cooperation in open scientific data sharing under the Artemis Accords, building on their existing partnership under the accords.

The meeting focused on expanding civil and commercial space cooperation under the India-US Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) Initiative, in line with the February 2025 Joint Leaders' Statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

ISRO Chairman and Department of Space Secretary V Narayanan and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor addressed the opening session, highlighting the importance of further strengthening bilateral space cooperation.

The meeting was co-chaired by M Sankaran, Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre, on the Indian side, and 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, on the US side.

The discussions included expanding cooperation following the successful launch of the joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission last year, as well as exploring future collaborations in space science and human spaceflight technologies.

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India and the US also reaffirmed their commitment to advancing United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) guidelines on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. The two sides reviewed ongoing multilateral efforts aimed at ensuring the committee's effectiveness.

The meeting comes as India and the US seek to broaden cooperation in space beyond individual missions, with the two countries looking at areas spanning commercial space activity, scientific research, data sharing and human spaceflight.

The NISAR mission, jointly developed by NASA and ISRO, is designed to provide detailed observations of changes on Earth's land and ice surfaces using synthetic aperture radar technology.

The latest discussions also build on India's participation in the Artemis Accords, which establish principles for cooperation in the exploration and use of the Moon and other celestial bodies for peaceful purposes.