India, US step up space cooperation; NASA invites ISRO to join Moon Base Programme
\New Delhi, Aug 11. India and the United States have agreed to deepen cooperation in civil and commercial space activities, including future scientific and human spaceflight programmes, with NASA inviting the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to participate in its Moon Base programme.
The decision was taken during the ninth meeting of the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG), hosted by India at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on August 5-6.
ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space, V Narayanan, and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor addressed the opening session and underscored 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 focused on expanding civil and commercial space cooperation under the US-India Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology (TRUST) Initiative, in line with the joint statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in February 2025.
The two sides reviewed opportunities for further collaboration following the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission last year. They also discussed pursuing new partnerships in space science and human spaceflight technologies.
India and the US reaffirmed their commitment to promoting the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) guidelines on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. They also reviewed ongoing multilateral efforts aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the UN committee.
A significant outcome of the meeting was NASA’s invitation to ISRO to join its Moon Base programme, building on the two countries’ cooperation under the Artemis Accords.
The two sides also agreed to continue discussions on cooperation in sharing open scientific data under the Artemis framework, potentially widening access to space-related scientific information and research generated through their joint activities.
