Bengaluru, India – The India-US Space Business Forum commenced today in Bengaluru, marking a significant step towards enhanced collaboration between the two nations in the space sector. The two-day forum brings together prominent officials, space agencies, and industry leaders from both India and the United States to explore opportunities for deeper cooperation.
The forum aims to facilitate easier collaboration by addressing policy adjustments, streamlining regulations, and fostering new business ventures. Discussions will highlight successful joint missions, including Chandrayaan-1, and explore future partnerships in lunar missions and other areas of space exploration.
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan emphasized that India's space program is rooted in international cooperation and designed to benefit the common person. He noted the U.S.'s early contributions to India's space endeavors, including the supply of the first rocket launched by India. Narayanan welcomed the U.S. delegation and industry leaders, highlighting the growing convergence between the two countries in the space sector, with approximately 14 U.S. business partners participating in the forum.
The collaboration between India and the U.S. in space dates back to 1962, when India became one of NASA's first partners, establishing the Equatorial Rocket Launching Station at Thumba. In 1975-1976, NASA and ISRO collaborated on the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), where NASA's ATS-6 satellite broadcast educational programs to remote Indian villages.
More recently, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the U.S. in February 2025, the India-U.S. initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) was rebranded as Transforming Relations Utilising Strategic Technologies (TRUST) to promote cooperation in space, as well as in defense, AI, semiconductors, and biotechnology. As a part of strengthened collaboration, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronauts are set to train at NASA, paving the way for a joint U.S.-India mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The proposed 'Space Innovation Bridge' under the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) seeks to encourage partnerships between U.S. and Indian startups in satellite technology and space situational awareness. Growing cooperation in defense includes India's participation in the U.S. Space Command's Global Sentinel exercise and ongoing reviews of missile technology exports to facilitate commercial satellite launches.
In September 2025, the Embassy of India in Washington DC hosted an event titled “India-USA Space Collaboration: The Frontiers of a Futuristic partnership”, celebrating successes like the launch of the NISAR satellite and the Axiom Mission-4, which transported an Indian astronaut to the ISS.
Both countries are also committed to increasing commercial space collaboration in areas such as connectivity, advanced spaceflight, satellite and space launch systems, space sustainability, space tourism, and advanced space manufacturing.
ISRO, in collaboration with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), has developed a system to augment signals from GPS satellites called "Gagan" (GPS aided geo-augmented navigation). This involves setting up ground-based GPS reference stations and a navigational payload on a geo-stationary satellite.
While the U.S. currently leads in space budget, India aims to expand its space economy to $44 billion by 2033, targeting 7-8% of the global share. Despite having a significantly smaller budget than NASA, ISRO has achieved milestones such as the Chandrayaan-3 Mission.
The U.S.-India Space Business Forum in Bengaluru signifies a continued commitment to strengthening ties and exploring new frontiers in space collaboration between the two nations.