India-US space ties deepen as NASA invites ISRO to join moon base program

NASA has formally invited India to participate in its effort to build a permanent base near the moon's south pole, adding a new dimension to the deep-space cooperation between the two countries.

The invitation was extended last week at the Indian space agency ISRO 's headquarters in Bengaluru during the ninth meeting of the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group.

The CSJWG was established in 2005 as a mechanism for bilateral space cooperation and for addressing challenges and pursuing mutual spaceflight goals.

"Building on our successful collaboration in science, NASA reaffirmed its interest in @ISRO joining Moon Base.

We're going back to the moon to stay — and we're bringing our partners with us," NASA officials said via X on Tuesday (Aug.

11).

Building on our successful collaboration in science, NASA reaffirmed its interest in @ISRO joining Moon Base.

We're going back to the Moon to stay — and we're bringing our partners with us. https://t.co/hU9ssn24FP August 11, 2026 Beyond the lunar base invitation, "the two sides also agreed to advance discussions for cooperation on open scientific data sharing under the Accords," reads a Tuesday statement by the U.S.

Embassy in India.

"The Accords" are the Artemis Accords , the U.S.-led diplomatic framework outlining principles for safe and responsible exploration of the moon and beyond.

India signed on as the 27th signatory in 2023, joining a coalition that has now grown to 70 nations.

Official statements have provided few details on what India's participation in the Moon Base program would entail in practice.

The meeting, however, brought together senior space officials from both countries, including V.

Narayanan, the chairman of ISRO and secretary of India's Department of Space, and Sergio Gor, the U.S.