"NASA invites ISRO to join permanent Moon Base programme"
Artemis Accords
Non-binding bilateral agreements (not a treaty) establishing norms for peaceful, transparent, and interoperable space exploration, launched by NASA in 2020.
In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU)
Extracting and using resources found at a space destination (e.g., lunar water ice for propellant) rather than carrying everything from Earth.
India's civil space relationship with the United States has evolved from episodic technical exchanges into a structured bilateral architecture anchored in both multilateral norms and bilateral instruments. The foundational multilateral framework remains the Outer Space Treaty (1967), which establishes that space exploration shall be conducted for the benefit of all countries and that no nation may claim sovereignty over celestial bodies. Layered on top of this is the Artemis Accords, launched by NASA in 2020 as a set of bilateral agreements — not a formal treaty requiring legislative ratification — grounded in principles of transparency, interoperability, peaceful purposes, open data sharing, and the designation of safety zones around operational sites. India formally joined in 2023 as the 27th signatory; the Accords now count approximately 70 member countries. Critically, neither China nor Russia is a signatory, lending the Accords an increasingly alliance-like character in the geopolitics of outer space.
India's domestic space policy environment has also shifted significantly. The Space Sector Reforms of 2020 opened the sector to private participation, repositioning ISRO as a strategic and R&D anchor rather than the sole operator. The Indian Space Policy of 2023 formalised this architecture, creating roles for IN-SPACe (the regulatory and promotional body) and NSIL (the commercial arm). These reforms made India a more credible partner for complex, multi-agency international missions and signalled to NASA that ISRO could engage not just as a government-to-government counterpart but as part of a broader industrial ecosystem.
NASA's Moon Base programme is the infrastructure phase of the broader Artemis initiative, which aims to land humans on the Moon and subsequently establish a permanent research station where astronauts and robots can live and work for extended periods. Humans last visited the Moon during Apollo 17 in 1972, making the Moon Base the most ambitious human spaceflight undertaking since the Apollo era. The base is planned near the lunar south pole, chosen for its extended periods of sunlight — enabling solar power generation — and confirmed deposits of water ice, which can be converted into drinking water, oxygen, and rocket propellant. The target for hosting astronauts is approximately 2030, though the programme will be built in stages over several years through crewed and robotic missions.
NASA is actively seeking international and private-sector partners because its budget has been significantly reduced under the current administration, and most hardware production has shifted to the private sector. The NISAR mission (a joint NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture radar satellite) is an existing model of this collaboration. …
Consider the following statements with regard to involvement of private entities in India's space programme:
1.The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) is an autonomous agency formed to facilitate participation of private entities.
2.Agnikul Cosmos launched the world's first flight using 3D-printed rocket engine.
3.Skyroot Aerospace has developed liquid fuel for GSLV.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?
Spacecraft : Purpose
1.Cassini-Huygens : Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth
2.Messenger : Mapping and investigating the Mercury
3.Voyager 1 and 2 : Exploring the outer solar system
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
With reference to the Artemis Accords, consider the following statements:
1.The Artemis Accords are a formal multilateral treaty requiring legislative ratification by member states.
2.India joined the Artemis Accords in 2023 as the 27th signatory.
3.Both China and Russia are members of the Artemis Accords.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following correctly describes the primary reason for choosing the lunar south pole as the site for NASA's planned Moon Base?
Consider the following statements regarding India's domestic space policy architecture:
1.IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) functions as the commercial arm of ISRO for launching satellites on a commercial basis.
2.NSIL (NewSpace India Limited) is the government company mandated to commercialise ISRO's technologies and launch services.
3.The Indian Space Policy 2023 repositioned ISRO primarily as a strategic and R&D anchor rather than the sole operator of space missions.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Assertion (A): India's participation in the Artemis Accords does not legally prevent it from continuing space cooperation with Russia.
Reason (R): The Artemis Accords are bilateral agreements establishing norms and principles, not a formal alliance with exclusivity obligations.
Which of the following is correct?
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