NASA Invites India for Moon Base Programme

In a significant development that will give a major boost to India’s Chandrayaan projects, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States of America has invited Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to join its Moon Base programme. 

Under the programme scientists will stay for a longer time on the moon and carry out research. The discussion on this came up during the ninth meeting of the Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG) between India with the US last week at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru. The CSJWG is part of India-US civil space



cooperation.

“NASA invited ISRO to join its Moon Base program, building on the two countries’ partnership under the Artemis Accords. The two sides also agreed to advance discussions for cooperation on open scientific data sharing under the Accords,” a joint statement following the talks said. 

The Moon Base programme will boost India’s own Chandrayaan programme for which it is also collaborating with Japan. As per NASA, Moon Base is humanity’s first lunar outpost, a place where astronauts will live, work, and explore near the Moon’s South Pole.