BENGALURU: The US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, on Monday said India and the US were moving towards “co-creation” from “cooperation” and data-sharing. He stressed that NASA and ISRO will be working together on the Moon Base Programme, and said: “Make no mistake: we are going back to the Moon, and we want India by our side on the lunar surface.”
“When the United States and India work together, we do not just practice addition; we practice multiplication. Not even the sky is the limit. Let us work together to build a global space economy. Let us return to the Moon together. And let us prove to the world that when free nations lead in space, the entire world looks up with hope and further aspirations.”
He was speaking at the inauguration of the three day long, ninth edition, Bengaluru Space Expo- 2026, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry, in partnership with ISRO, IN-SPAe and New Space India Limited (NSIL), in Bengaluru.
Gor said the Moon “may be our destination, but the engine of this journey is ground-level innovation, including the laboratories, startups and commercial markets.” India’s bold space sector reforms have ignited a commercial awakening. Innovators like Pixxel and GalaxEye are redefining Earth observation. Digantara is leading the way in space situational awareness. Bellatrix is propelling space forward. Pioneers like Skyroot and Agnikul are building next-generation launch capabilities, he said.
“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,” he asserted to the Indian space sector firms.
Referring to the 9th edition of the US-India Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting that was recently held in Bengaluru, Gor said the discussions affirmed that the partnerships are no longer just about cooperation; it is about co-creation. “We are no longer just sharing data; we are co-designing instruments, co-funding startups, and co-authoring the future of human discovery.”
He also stressed upon the recent meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with US Present Donald Trump, where the two recognised this synergy when they established the Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) initiative. Gor said, the space sector sits directly at the centre of TRUST, and on Sunday the TRUST Fellowship was launched to bring researchers from both the countries together.
Pertaining to the partnership with NASA, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, said, “India is a signatory to the Artemis Accord. So when one talks of huge space programmes, there is a need for strong international collaboration, else we will be reinventing the same thing again and again. Strong collaborations not just help the space sector, but also lowers the expenditure in missions.”
Gor added that they are also expanding the US commercial services in Bengaluru. He said the US wants to build a direct commercial corridor between American industry and Indian innovators. He said, “The US and India are working together on multiple sectors and at unthinkable working levels. Whether it’s our bilateral trade, pharma, technology or military cooperation, we are working hand-in-hand.”