NASA has extended an invitation to ISRO to join its Moon Base program, marking a significant step in India-US cooperation in lunar exploration and human spaceflight.

The Moon Base was first announced during NASA’s “Ignition” event on 24 March 2026, where the agency unveiled initiatives aligned with President Donald J Trump’s National Space Policy to strengthen American leadership in space.

The invitation was formally made during the 9th meeting of the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG), held at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on 5 and 6 August. Senior officials from both nations gathered to advance civil and commercial space cooperation under the US-India Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology (TRUST) Initiative.

According to a statement from the US Embassy, NASA invited ISRO to join the Moon Base program as part of the growing partnership under the Artemis Accords.

The two sides also agreed to deepen discussions on cooperation in open scientific data sharing under the Accords framework. The Artemis Accords, signed by India in 2023, set principles for peaceful exploration, scientific collaboration, and sustainable use of space resources.

The CSJWG meeting also focused on expanding collaboration in space science and human spaceflight technologies. This comes after the successful launch of NISAR, the joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, last year. NISAR is the first satellite mission to use two radar frequencies to study Earth’s land and ice surfaces, providing detailed observations of environmental changes.

Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to advancing guidelines on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities through the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). They reviewed ongoing multilateral efforts aimed at strengthening the committee’s effectiveness in managing global space governance.

The meeting was addressed by Department of Space secretary V Narayanan and US ambassador to India Sergio Gor. It was co-chaired by M Sankaran, director of ISRO’s UR Rao Satellite Centre, alongside US officials 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 invitation comes as the US-led Artemis program advances towards establishing a sustained human presence around the Moon. For India, participation in the Moon Base program could extend its role in lunar exploration beyond the Chandrayaan missions, offering opportunities for collaboration in science, technology, and human spaceflight.

Human spaceflight has already been identified as a priority area for deeper cooperation between the two nations, reinforcing their broader strategic partnership in space.

Agencies