NASA Calls ISRO for Moon Base Mission

New Delhi, August 12, 2026 NASA has formally invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to join its ambitious Moon Base programme, marking a significant development in the expanding space partnership between India and the United States. The invitation was extended during the ninth meeting of the India-U.S. Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG), held recently at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru. The move builds on the two countries’ cooperation under the Artemis Accords. “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 for cooperation on open scientific data sharing under the Accords,” said a statement from the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India. According to NASA, the programme aims to establish humanity’s first outpost on another celestial body near the lunar South Pole. The initiative will be carried out in three phases and was announced during NASA’s “Ignition” event on March 24, 2026. The Bengaluru meeting also focused on expanding civil and commercial space cooperation under the U.S.-India Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) Initiative, in line with the February 2025 Joint Leaders’ Statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump. Both sides discussed further cooperation following the successful launch of the joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission last year, along with potential collaborations in space science and human spaceflight technologies. India and the U.S. 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 and reviewed ongoing multilateral efforts to strengthen the committee’s effectiveness. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan, U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor and senior officials from both countries attended the meeting. The invitation to ISRO underscores the growing depth of India-U.S. space cooperation and could open a new chapter in joint efforts toward sustained lunar exploration.