NASA invites ISRO to join its Moon Base program under Artemis Accords
NASA has invited ISRO to participate in its Moon Base development effort as part of the broader Artemis lunar exploration program
The invitation builds on the existing India-US space partnership formalised under the Artemis Accords
The proposal follows a series of recent joint milestones between the two space agencies, including the NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) Earth-observation satellite and an Indian astronaut's flight to the International Space Station
The move signals deeper integration of India's human spaceflight and lunar exploration plans with the US-led Artemis framework
Artemis Accords (2020)
The Artemis Accords are a US-led, non-binding set of political commitments and best practices for civil space exploration, established in October 2020 by NASA in coordination with the US Department of State. They reaffirm and build upon obligations under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the 1968 Rescue Agreement, and the 1976 Registration Convention, while adding new norms specific to lunar and deep-space activity.
Key Details
- Signed initially (October 13, 2020) by 8 countries: Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, UAE, UK and the US
- Core principles include peaceful exploration, transparency of national space policies, interoperability of systems, public release of scientific data, registration of space objects, deconfliction through "safety zones," and prevention of harmful debris
- India signed the Artemis Accords on June 21, 2023, becoming the 27th signatory nation; the accords now have over 60 signatories
- The Accords are not a treaty but a set of political commitments operating alongside, not replacing, existing international space law
NASA's invitation to ISRO for the Moon Base program is a direct extension of the cooperative framework India joined in 2023, moving from accord membership to concrete mission-level collaboration.
India's Human Spaceflight and Lunar Roadmap
India's own crewed space programme is being built in stages, from low Earth orbit missions to an eventual crewed lunar landing, giving context to why NASA's Moon Base invitation is significant for ISRO's long-term planning.
Key Details
- Gaganyaan, India's first crewed spaceflight, is targeted for around 2027, preceded by uncrewed test flights
- The Bharatiya Antariksha Station (India's own modular space station) is planned to be operational by 2035, assembled from multiple modules
- India's crewed Moon landing is targeted for the 2040s, via a staged sequence: an uncrewed circumlunar test flight (HVM1) in the early 2030s, a crewed circumlunar flight (HVM2) in the mid-2030s, and a crewed lunar landing (HVM3) in the 2040s
- Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5 are planned as precursor missions to develop technologies needed for the crewed lunar mission
A NASA-led Moon Base program offers India a route to gain lunar-surface systems experience and interoperability ahead of its own crewed lunar ambitions, aligning with the HVM staged roadmap.
Existing NASA-ISRO Joint Missions
The Moon Base invitation follows two landmark cooperative missions that demonstrated NASA-ISRO technical interoperability, which is a core Artemis Accords principle.
Key Details
- NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), the first joint NASA-ISRO satellite, was launched on ISRO's GSLV-F16 on July 30, 2025 from Sriharikota into a 743 km sun-synchronous orbit; it carries dual L-band and S-band radar payloads to track land, ice and vegetation changes
- Axiom Mission 4 (June 2025) carried Indian Air Force test pilot and ISRO astronaut-designate Shubhanshu Shukla to the ISS as mission pilot, making him the first Indian to visit the ISS and the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma (1984)
- Both missions were conducted through NASA-ISRO cooperative arrangements rather than under a formal defence or trade treaty
These missions established the working-level technical trust and interoperability that underpin NASA's Moon Base invitation to ISRO.
- Artemis Accords established: October 13, 2020, by NASA and the US State Department
- India joined the Artemis Accords: June 21, 2023, as the 27th signatory
- NISAR launch: July 30, 2025, via GSLV-F16 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota
- Axiom-4 mission (Shubhanshu Shukla to ISS): launched June 25, 2025
- Gaganyaan crewed mission target: around 2027
- Bharatiya Antariksha Station target operational date: 2035
- India's crewed Moon landing target: 2040s (via HVM1, HVM2, HVM3 staged missions)