US market open to Indian space startups, investors watching: Sergio Gor

New Delhi: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Monday said that the United States is open to Indian space startups and American investors are watching the sector as the country seeks to accelerate its Moon base programme in collaboration with India.

"NASA has officially invited ISRO to join us in the Moon base program. Make no mistake. We are going back to the Moon and we want India by our side on the lunar surface," the US envoy said at Bengaluru Space Expo 2026.

"To every Indian space entrepreneur in this room, the American market is open to you. Our investors are watching you. Our ecosystems welcome you," he said.

Gor also said the two countries' space partnership was undergoing a profound transformation through the ninth US-India Civil Space Joint Working Group.

"Those discussions affirmed that our partnership is 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 said.

He also said space was becoming an engine of the global economy, powering navigation, communications, artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced manufacturing.

According to him, space is no longer a luxury for national pride and today it is the engine of the 21st-century global economy.

Earlier in the day, Gor stated that he pitched expanding opportunities for American businesses in India and strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

"American innovation is a powerful force around the world," he said in a post on X after a discussion with Amazon executives on the company's India footprint and expanding opportunities for US business and strengthening US-India economic ties.

In addition, Gor on Sunday highlighted the broader economic partnership between the two countries.

"Across South India, our partnership is driving innovation, expanding investment and strengthening critical supply chains," he said in a post marking 250 years of American independence.

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