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NASA and ISRO collaborate on lunar exploration

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2026-08-14 18:58 UTC → 2026-09-07 09:29 UTC · added removed

NASA and ISRO collaborate on lunar exploration and colonization efforts

NASA has extended an official invitation to officially invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to participate in its Moon Base programme. programme, an initiative aimed at establishing a permanent human presence near the lunar South Pole. This initiative, discussed invitation was formalized during the 9th India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting in Bengaluru, aims to establish a permanent human presence near the lunar South Pole. Bengaluru in August 2026. The collaboration partnership builds on the Artemis Accords and the US-India TRUST initiative, focusing following the successful 2025 launch of the joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission. U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, speaking at the Bengaluru Space Expo 2026, emphasized that the United States intends to have India “by its side on human spaceflight, the lunar exploration, surface” during upcoming missions. Gor also highlighted the growing interest of U.S. investors in Indian space startups, such as Pixxel, Skyroot Aerospace, and scientific data sharing. Agnikul Cosmos. The Moon Base project is planned in phases, with an initial stage projected to cost approximately $10 billion through 2028. Early efforts will utilize robotic missions to test infrastructure and technology. infrastructure. The lunar South Pole has become a central remains the primary focus for space colonization due to the presence of water ice in permanently shadowed craters. This ice is viewed as a critical resource for producing craters, which can be processed into drinking water, oxygen, and fuel for future deep-space missions. NASA and SpaceX are targeting this region to leverage both areas of prolonged sunlight for solar energy and shadowed areas to preserve volatiles. NASA also plans to utilize nuclear reactors for electricity and intends to conduct two crewed missions via the Artemis program by 2028 to investigate these lunar resources.

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  1. 2026-09-07 09:29 UTC NASA and ISRO collaborate on lunar exploration
  2. 2026-08-14 18:58 UTC NASA lunar exploration and colonization efforts

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