NASA invites ISRO to join Moon Base programme near lunar south pole

NASA invited the Indian Space Research Organisation to join its Moon Base programme during the ninth meeting of the India-U.S. Civil Space Joint Working Group held at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on August 5 and 6, 2026.

The U.S. Embassy in India confirmed the invitation in a statement on August 11. NASA described the programme as humanity's first lunar outpost, a place where astronauts will live, work and explore near the Moon's south pole.

The invitation builds on the partnership under the Artemis Accords, which India signed in 2023 as the 27th country. More than 70 countries have now joined the accords. The two sides also agreed to advance discussions on open scientific data sharing under the same framework.

ISRO Chairman and Department of Space Secretary V. Narayanan and U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor attended the opening session. The meeting was co-chaired by officials from both sides, including NASA's Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations Kathleen Karika.

NASA announced the Moon Base programme on March 24, 2026, during its Ignition event. The programme is designed to achieve President Donald Trump's National Space Policy and establish an enduring human presence on the Moon. It is organised in three phases.

Phase One, running through 2029, focuses on robotic missions to explore the south pole, test technologies and identify sites for infrastructure. Phase Two, from 2029 to 2032, aims to build initial power systems, cargo transport and communications. Phase Three, from 2032 onward, targets a permanent outpost with habitats for extended astronaut presence.

The south pole was chosen because of longer periods of sunlight in some areas and the presence of water ice in permanently shadowed craters. NASA has already awarded contracts to commercial partners for early missions, including lunar terrain vehicles from Astrolab and Lunar Outpost, landers from Blue Origin, Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines, and drones from Firefly.

No specific role for ISRO has been defined. Officials described the invitation as an opening for further negotiation on what India might contribute and what it would receive in return. India has its own lunar plans that include sample return with Chandrayaan-4 and longer-term ambitions for human presence later in the decade.

The meeting also reviewed cooperation after the successful NISAR mission and discussed future science and human spaceflight technology collaboration. Both sides reaffirmed commitment to United Nations guidelines on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.

The invitation comes as the United States and India expand strategic technology cooperation under the TRUST initiative announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump in 2025.

NASA has released multiple updates on the programme since March, including selections of commercial landers for science payload delivery in late 2028 and technology demonstration missions such as CAPSTONE 02. The agency is prioritising surface operations near the south pole over earlier concepts that included a lunar Gateway station.

For India the invitation adds another layer to an already expanding space relationship that includes astronaut training support for Gaganyaan and joint Earth observation work. What form participation eventually takes remains subject to bilateral talks that have only just begun.