August 18, 2026 | 03:39 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - NASA has officially invited India to join the Moon Base project—a permanent base near the Moon's south pole. The invitation, extended during the ninth meeting of the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG) at the headquarters of the Indian space agency, ISRO, in Bengaluru last week, adds a new dimension to the partnership between the two nations.
Established in 2005, the CSJWG serves as a platform for bilateral space cooperation, as well as for discussing challenges and pursuing shared goals in spaceflight. "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," a NASA official stated via the agency's X account on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
According to a statement by the U.S. Embassy in India on Tuesday, in addition to the invitation for cooperation, the two countries agreed to develop open scientific data sharing based on the Artemis Accords. Citing Space, the Artemis Accords are a U.S.-led diplomatic framework that establishes the principles for safe and responsible lunar and space exploration.
India became the 27th country to sign the agreement in 2023. Currently, 70 countries have joined the Artemis Accords.
There are no official details yet regarding the form of India's participation in the Moon Base program. What is certain is that the meeting was attended by senior space officials from both nations, including ISRO Chair and Secretary of India's Department of Space, V. Narayanan, as well as the U.S. Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor.
Through the Artemis program, NASA plans to build a large, city-like base near the Moon's south pole within the coming decade. This zone was selected because it features craters that remain permanently in shadow and likely contains significant deposits of water ice. According to plans shared by NASA last May, there are also plans to construct habitats in areas exposed to sunlight.
NASA also plans to place nuclear power systems further away from the habitat to reduce radiation risks. Small, hopping robotic technology will be deployed there starting in 2028 to explore the south polar region before the project begins.
This information gathering and research regarding lunar surface access constitutes the first of three planned phases. The second phase, scheduled for 2029–2032, aims to establish the base's initial operational capabilities, while the third phase in 2032 involves plans for the semi-permanent deployment of a crew on the lunar surface.
NASA previously suspended development of the long-planned Gateway space station. Management prioritized infrastructure that would support sustained operations on the lunar surface, increase launch frequency, and counter China's ambitions in lunar exploration.
The invitation from NASA comes at an opportune moment for India as well. The country is pursuing an ambitious agenda in lunar exploration and human spaceflight. India's plans for the 2040s include developing a lunar base, constructing a space station in lunar orbit, and sending astronauts to the Moon.
Read: How SpaceX's Moon Impact Could Advance Lunar Science
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