NASA invites India to join its Moon base mission

NASA has invited India to join its ambitious Moon base mission, the US ambassador to New Delhi said Tuesday.

In a move to deepen the US-India space partnership, Ambassador Sergio Gor said NASA has invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to "join its Moon base program."

The announcement comes as the ninth meeting of the India-US civil space joint working group was hosted by India on Aug. 5-6 at the headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organisation in the southern city of Bengaluru.

"Both sides discussed expanding cooperation…as well as pursuing future science and human space flight technology collaborations," a statement by the US Embassy in New Delhi said on Tuesday.

NASA has described the Moon base as "humanity's first lunar outpost, a place where astronauts will live, work, and explore near the Moon's South Pole."

"Through a series of crewed and uncrewed missions, NASA and its partners will build the infrastructure needed to support an enduring human presence on the Moon, unlock new scientific discoveries, and prepare for future deep space exploration," NASA said.