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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to participate in its Moon Base programme, aimed at establishing a permanent human outpost near the lunar South Pole. The invitation was extended during the 9th India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG) meeting held at ISRO headquarters, Bengaluru.

Moon Base Programme

• The programme forms part of the broader Artemis framework, which seeks to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustained human presence as a foundation for future crewed missions to Mars.
• The lunar South Pole is particularly important because permanently or semi-permanently shadowed regions are believed to contain water ice, which could support future human habitation and resource utilisation.
• The proposed programme envisages three broad phases: robotic exploration and technology demonstration through 2029, development of systems and infrastructure during 2029–2032, and eventual assembly of a permanent lunar outpost for habitation and scientific research.

India-US Space Cooperation

The cooperation builds upon the Artemis Accords, established in 2020 as a non-binding framework for peaceful, safe and sustainable civil exploration and use of outer space. India became the 27th signatory in June 2023.

During the CSJWG meeting, India and the US also reviewed cooperation under the US-India TRUST initiative, the successful NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission, and opportunities for further civil and commercial space collaboration. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to UN COPUOS guidelines on the long-term sustainability of outer-space activities.