One giant leap for America? Trump’s Moon ambitions put India’s space diplomacy to the test

US President Donald Trump’s push for a permanent American presence on the Moon by 2028 has raised questions over the future governance of space, the possibility of competing claims over lunar resources and the geopolitical choices facing India as it pursues its own space ambitions. In a proclamation titled ‘The American Declaration of Freedom in Space’, Trump has committed the US to leading space exploration, development and settlement, according to a report by ToI’s Chethan Kumar.

The proclamation links American leadership in space to national security and economic prosperity, while setting out an eventual human mission to Mars. However, its emphasis on establishing a lasting American presence beyond Earth has renewed concerns over whether space will remain a shared domain or become another arena for geopolitical competition.

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Susmita Mohanty, director general of space think tank Spaceport SARABHAI, questioned the apparent contradiction between the proclamation’s language of shared access and its ambition for American dominance.

“Trump describes space as ‘the province of all humans’ while, almost in the same breath, declaring his intention to establish a ‘permanent presence by American citizens’,” she told ToI, pointing to the tension between treating space as a common domain and seeking enduring national dominance.

Moon race could deepen geopolitical fault lines

Mohanty also challenged the suggestion of American primacy in space exploration, noting that international cooperation has played a crucial role in advancing human spaceflight. Russia continued transporting American astronauts to the International Space Station for nearly nine years after the US retired its Space Shuttle fleet in 2011, until SpaceX’s Crew Dragon began crewed flights in 2020.
China’s expanding lunar programme is another factor reshaping the competition. Since 2007, Beijing has completed six lunar missions, including two sample-return missions, and is working towards sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030.“Space exploration has historically been a collaborative endeavour, one that repeatedly reminds terrestrial superpowers that their dominance has its limits,” Mohanty said.

Lt Gen AK Bhat (retd), director-general of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), said the proclamation could accelerate the emergence of competing frameworks for space governance, with countries gravitating towards the US-led Artemis programme or the China-Russia-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).

“There’s now a clear divide of two groups: the Artemis-led group and the ILRS-led (China-Russia) group. Space colonisation, ownership and other things that have been talked about will definitely sow the seeds for future contests and maybe confrontation,” he was quoted as saying by ToI.

The legal framework governing space exploration adds another dimension to the debate. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty declares space the province of all mankind under Article I and bars national appropriation of celestial bodies under Article III. Trump’s proclamation speaks of a permanent American presence and resource development, subject to international obligations, but does not itself grant the US ownership of lunar territory.

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India must balance partnerships with strategic autonomy

The competing approaches present a challenge for India, which has commitments across different international space frameworks. New Delhi signed the US-led Artemis Accords in June 2023 and has also signed the 1979 Moon Agreement, although it has not ratified the latter. The two frameworks differ in their approaches to aspects of lunar resource governance.

In August 2026, Nasa invited Isro to participate in its Moon Base programme, building on the Artemis partnership. India, meanwhile, has outlined its own Space Vision 2047, which includes establishing the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and landing an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040.

Bhat said India’s participation in the Artemis Accords makes it important to examine the country’s long-term positioning rather than treating the decision as a straightforward alignment with one space power.

“The issue is basically where India aligns its cards. Though signing of the Artemis Accords was an indicator of our inclination, there has to be an internal debate within the Indian community,” he said.

He also cautioned against treating Trump’s proclamation as merely political messaging, given its status as an official presidential policy statement.

“It does not matter whether we take Donald Trump seriously or not. The signature on the paper is that of the President of the United States, aligning the policy for the future,” Bhat said.

(With inputs from ToI’s Chethan Kumar)