Germany Joins Artemis Accords, Strengthening Multilateral Space Norms
- 19 Sep 2023
On 14th Sept, Germany became the 29th nation to sign the Artemis Accords, a multinational agreement led by the United States aimed at establishing space and lunar surface behaviour norms.
Key Points
- Strategic Addition: Germany's signature adds significant weight to the growing list of countries aligning their space policies with the United States.
- Economic Powerhouse: Germany is recognized as the economic powerhouse of Europe and a longstanding contributor to the European space program.
- Diplomatic Significance: The signing is considered significant for the Artemis program, reinforcing international cooperation in space exploration.
India's Participation in Artemis Accords
- 27th Signatory: India became the 27th country to join the nonbinding Artemis Accords in July 2023.
- Collaboration with NASA: NASA and ISRO to collaborate on sending Indian astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024.
About Artemis Accords
- Formation: Established by the U.S. State Department and NASA in 2020.
- Founding Members: Includes Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, UAE, UK, and the U.S.
- Purpose: Sets principles for civil exploration and use of outer space, celestial bodies (moon, Mars), and comets/asteroids for peaceful purposes.
- Foundation: Builds upon the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, emphasizing space as a shared resource for humanity.
Accord Commitments
- Peaceful Purposes: Conduct space activities for peaceful purposes following international law.
- Common Infrastructure: Recognize the importance of common exploration infrastructure.
- Registration and Data Sharing: Register space objects, share scientific data, with exemptions for private sectors acting on behalf of a signatory.
- Preservation of Heritage: Preserve historic celestial body sites, artifacts, and evidence.
- Utilization of Space Resources: Utilization must support safe and sustainable activities, with shared information to prevent interference.
- Mitigation of Debris: Plan for safe disposal of spacecraft, limit harmful debris generation.
Main Artemis Program Missions
- Artemis-I: Unmanned mission to the moon, launched on November 16, 2022.
- Artemis-II: Crewed lunar flyby mission scheduled for 2024.
- Artemis-III: Human return to the moon in 2025, with plans for a Lunar Gateway station in 2029.
Benefits and Challenges for India
Benefits
- Access to advanced training, technology, and scientific opportunities.
- Advancement of India's lunar exploration goals like Chandrayaan-3.
- Enhancement of capabilities for the Gaganyaan human mission and future space endeavors.
- Opportunity for mutual advancements in space exploration through India's cost-effective missions and innovative approach.
Challenges
- Possible alignment with the U.S. against other major space powers like China and Russia with their lunar exploration plans.
- Uncertainty about the legal status and implications, especially regarding unregulated moon mining.
- Balancing commitments under Artemis Accords with obligations under other multilateral frameworks or treaties on outer space.
