Photo credit: NASA
With the signing of the Artemis Agreement, the international cooperation on and around the moon within the Artemis program makes today NASA and several partner countries. The Artemis Agreements set out a set of practical principles that guide collaboration among nations participating in the Agency’s 21st Century lunar exploration plans.
“Artemis will be the broadest and most diverse international human space exploration program in history, and the Artemis Accords are the means to establish this unique global coalition,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “With today’s signing, we join forces with our partners to explore the moon and lay out key principles that will create a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space that all of humanity can enjoy.”
While NASA leads the Artemis program, which will send the first woman and next man to the surface of the moon in 2024, international partnerships will play a key role in achieving a sustainable and robust presence on the moon over the course of this decade as they move prepare to conduct a historical human mission too Mars.
The founding members who signed the Artemis Agreements in alphabetical order are:
- Australia
- Canada
- Italy
- Japan
- Luxembourg
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
NASA announced it would finalize the Artemis Accords earlier this year to steer future collaborative activities to be implemented through bilateral agreements that describe responsibilities and other legal provisions. The partners will ensure that their activities are in line with the arrangements for implementing future cooperation. International cooperation at Artemis is not only intended to strengthen space exploration, but also to improve peaceful relations between nations.
Illustration of Artemis astronauts on the moon. Photo credit: NASA
“In principle, the Artemis agreements will help to avoid conflicts in space and on earth by strengthening mutual understanding and reducing misperceptions. Transparency, public registration, conflicting operations – these are the principles that keep the peace, “said Mike Gold, NASA assistant administrator for international and inter-agency relations. “Artemis’ voyage leads to the moon, but the aim of the agreements is a peaceful and prosperous future.”
The Artemis Accords strengthen and implement the 1967 Treaty on Principles for the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, also known as the Space Treaty. They also reaffirm the U.S. and partner countries’ commitment to the Convention on Registration, the Convention for the Rescue of Astronauts, and other norms of behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the publication of scientific data.
Artemis Lunar Lander. Photo credit: NASA
The principles of the Artemis Agreement are:
- Peaceful Exploration: All activities under the Artemis program must be for peaceful purposes
- Transparency: The Artemis Accords signatories will conduct their activities in a transparent manner to avoid confusion and conflict
- Interoperability: The nations participating in the Artemis program will endeavor to support interoperable systems to improve security and sustainability
- Emergency help: The signatories of the Artemis Accords undertake to support the personnel in need
- Registration of space objects: Every nation participating in Artemis must be a signatory to the Convention of Registration, or become a signatory quickly
- Publication of scientific data: The signatories of the Artemis Accords undertake to publish scientific information so that the whole world can accompany us on the Artemis journey
- Preservation of Heritage: The signatories of the Artemis Accords pledge to uphold the legacy of outer space
- Space resources: The extraction and use of space resources is the key to safe and sustainable exploration. The signatories to the Artemis Agreement affirm that such activities should be conducted in accordance with the Space Treaty
- Deconflict of activities: The nations of the Artemis Convention undertake to prevent harmful interference and to support the principle of due consideration as prescribed in the space treaty
- Orbital debris: The countries of Artemis Accords commit to plan the safe disposal of waste
More countries will join the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead as NASA continues to work with its international partners to create a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space. Working with emerging space agencies as well as existing partners and established space agencies will add new energy and skills to ensure that the whole world can benefit from the Artemis journey of exploration and discovery.
