US Envoy Says America Wants India by Side for Lunar Missions

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Monday said the United States wants India “by our side” on the lunar surface as it returns to the Moon, citing NASA’s invitation to ISRO to join its Moon base programme. “India is a proud signatory of the Artemis Accords, and NASA has officially invited ISRO to join us in the Moon base programme. Make no mistake: we’re going back to the Moon, and we want India by our side on the lunar surface,” Gor said while speaking at the Bengaluru Space Expo 2026. His remarks come as NASA, under its Artemis missions, prepares to send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery and economic benefits, while building on the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Highlighting the India-US collaboration in space, Gor said the NISAR mission demonstrated how joint technology could directly contribute to saving lives. NISAR is a groundbreaking Earth observation satellite mission developed jointly by NASA and ISRO. This mission aims to provide precise measurements of Earth’s surface to study natural processes and environmental changes. “And when we look at NISAR, we see that NASA and ISRO didn’t build a monument to scientific theory; they built a lifesaver. Literally,” he said. “When a devastating earthquake struck Venezuela just two months ago, NISAR’s radar data penetrated dense cloud cover and dust to guide emergency responders directly to ground zero. That is an example of what great things can happen when we work together. That is joint technology saving human lives in real time,” he added. Shukla’s ISS Mission Paved Way for Deeper India-US Human Spaceflight Cooperation Gor also highlighted India’s growing role in human spaceflight, citing Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s mission to the International Space Station and the subsequent cooperation between the two countries. “Last year, Group Captain Shukla flew to the International Space Station, a landmark moment for India, made possible through American partnership,” Gor said. “Following the Axiom-4 mission and five joint science investigations, we are now looking at docking standards, interoperability, and astronaut training. TRUST creates capability. Capability creates ambition. And ambition takes us beyond the stratosphere,” he added. The US envoy also pitched greater opportunities for Indian space startups in the American market, highlighting companies including Pixxel, GalaxEye, Digantara, Bellatrix, Skyroot and Agnikul. “To every Indian space entrepreneur in this room: the American market is open to you. Our investors are watching you. Our ecosystems welcome you. We are here to help you make that leap,” Gor said. On broader cooperation in space governance, Gor said Washington and New Delhi were working together to establish global norms. “Together, we are setting global norms: from space traffic coordination to the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference in Shanghai. Washington and Delhi are standing shoulder to shoulder to protect open, rules-based space governance against authoritarian dominance,” he said. Gor said the India-US partnership could have a multiplying effect in the space sector. “When the United States and India work together, we do not just practice addition; we practice multiplication. Not even the sky is the limit,” he said. “So from Bengaluru, let us look upwards. Let us work together to build a global space economy. Let us return to the Moon together,” the US Ambassador said.