Modi’s US visit: What are the Artemis Accords that NASA wants India to join?

A top official in United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has urged India to join the Artemis Accords. Speaking to news agency PTI, Bhavya Lal, the associate administrator for technology, policy and strategy within the office of the NASA Administrator, said New Delhi “needs” to be a part of the Artemis team, which brings together like-minded countries for civil space activities.“I think signing Artemis Accords should be a priority (for India). I mean, NASA feels pretty strongly that India, it’s a global power; it’s one of the few countries with independent access to space, has a thriving launch industry, has been to the moon, and has been to Mars, it needs to be part of the Artemis team,” she said.Her statements came days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi set out for a state visit to Washington where the two countries are expected to sign major defence and trade deals.What are the Artemis Accords and what are the concerns about them? Let's take a closer look.What’s the Artemis Accords?The Artemis Accords are a set of “principles, guidelines, and best practices” to guide the safe exploration of the Moon and eventually Mars.According to NASA, these accords are intended to establish a set of principles to “increase the safety of operations, reduce uncertainty, and promote the sustainable and beneficial use of space for all humankind”.Under its Artemis programme, NASA aims to return humans to the Moon by 2024 and eventually expand space exploration to Mars and beyond. To advance this programme, “international partnerships with numerous countries and private companies are vital” to the success of the US space agency, as per Space.com.As the US does not seek to embark on the journey to the lunar surface and beyond alone, it introduced Artemis Accords in 2020.These principles were founded by NASA, in collaboration with the US Department of State, and seven other nations.[caption id="attachment_12765212" align="alignnone" width="640"] The US wants to return humans to the lunar surface by 2024. Reuters File Photo[/caption]"Artemis will be the broadest and most diverse international human space exploration programme in history, and the Artemis Accords are the vehicle that will establish this singular global coalition," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine had said at the time.Through these non-binding bilateral agreements called Artemis Accords, NASA wants to affirm the importance of the countries adhering to the United Nations’ 1967 Outer Space Treaty, as per Space.com report.

The Artemis Accords are signed at a national level and not organisational level.

As of May 2023, there are 25 signatories to the Artemis Accords, including the US, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Bahrain, Columbia, Czech Republic, France, Israel, Luxemburg, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Key principles of the Artemis AccordsPeaceful purposes: All nations would conduct activities under the Artemis programme "exclusively for peaceful purposes" and abiding by the relevant international law.Transparency: The signatories are expected to be transparent about their national space policies and space exploration plans. They should also share scientific information with the public and the international scientific community on a "good-faith basis", as per the Accords.Interoperability: NASA states that the countries should recognise that the “development of interoperable and common exploration infrastructure and standards, including but not limited to fuel storage and delivery systems, landing structures, communications systems, and power systems, will enhance space-based exploration, scientific discovery, and commercial utilisation”.Emergency assistance: The countries signing the Accords will have to commit to providing assistance to astronauts and personnel in outer space who are in distress.Registration of Space Objects: The signatories can decide which of them should register “any relevant space object in accordance with the Registration Convention”.Preserving Heritage: The Accords call for member nations to preserve “historically significant human or robotic landing sites, artifacts, spacecraft, and other evidence of activity on celestial bodies in accordance with mutually developed standards and practices”.Space Resources: The partner countries have to affirm “extraction and utilisation of space resources, including any recovery from the surface or subsurface of the Moon, Mars, comets, or asteroids” will be in accordance with the Outer Space Treaty.As per the Outer Space Treaty, countries cannot claim ownership of objects extracted from space.Deconfliction of Activities: The Accords state that countries carrying out Moon exploration should set up a "safety zone" to avoid "harmful interference" with the activities of other nations.Orbital Debris: The member countries will have to pledge to safe, timely, and efficient disposal of spacecraft at the end of their missions. They also have to commit to limiting the generation of new long-lived or harmful debris.ALSO READ: Mighty Discovery: The alien planet that is 13 times more massive than JupiterWhat are the concerns regarding the Artemis Accords?As per PTI, richer countries will gain the most from space exploration. The news agency noted that the Artemis Accords do not lay down a “regulatory framework determining who has access to space resources and under what circumstances.” This means the Artemis Accords promotes the “use of space resources on a first come, first served basis”.“As a result, states with the financial and technological means to get there first will gain the most. Less developed or emerging spacefaring states will not profit from space resource utilisation, at least not directly,” reported PTI.As per the news agency, the creation of "safety zones" is also controversial as it could lead to “de facto appropriation of an area of the Moon”. However, the Accords call for "multilateral efforts" to develop "international practices and rules applicable to preserving outer space heritage”.[caption id="attachment_12765262" align="alignnone" width="640"] An expert has expressed concern that Artemis Accords will fuel a new race to the Moon. Reuters File Photo[/caption]Guoyu Wang, associate professor and dean of the Academy of Air, Space Policy and Law at the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), argued in The Space Review (TSR) that the Accords may trigger a new “Moon race”. “The Accords highlight cooperation, as well as actively promotes commercial utilisation of space resources. This is bound to initiate a new round of competition about exploitation and utilisation of the resources on the Moon and other celestial bodies among states and private entities. Exploitation of the resources on the Moon and other celestial bodies could become the spotlight of a new round of the space race and a new “battlefield” among space powers,” Dr Wang wrote for the online publication in 2020.Russia has also taken objection to the US' stand on utilising space resources.Attacking the US and comparing its stance on using space resources to colonialism, the director of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, had previously stated that “the principle of invasion is the same, whether it be the Moon or Iraq.”With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.