India, US eye Moon and Mars missions as space partnership enters new phase

India and the US signalled the beginning of a new phase of space partnership at a special event hosted by the Embassy of India in Washington DC, with officials and astronauts highlighting how decades of cooperation are now paving the way for missions to the Moon and Mars.

An event, titled “India-USA Space Collaboration: The Frontiers of a Futuristic Partnership”, was held at India House on Monday and celebrated recent milestones, including the joint NASA–ISRO NISAR satellite and the Axiom Mission-4, which carried Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station.

Ambassador of India to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, described the partnership as “a dynamic platform for advancing scientific exploration, technology development and commercial cooperation.” He said India’s space programme has emerged as a global leader in cost-effective exploration, and joint efforts with the US could “push the boundaries of human spaceflight in the decades ahead.” Dr Karen St Germain, Director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, in her address called the NISAR mission a “model of international collaboration" that demonstrated how pooling expertise could accelerate scientific breakthroughs.

In one of the highlights of the evening, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague and Butch Wilmore joined a virtual panel alongside Shukla. During the panel discussion titled, “Moments in Orbit", they shared candid stories of training, life aboard the International Space Station and the changing face of human spaceflight.