The Artemis Accords (ARTEMIS → Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun.)
Executive Summary
The Artemis Accords, initiated by the US in 2020, have recently welcomed India as the 27th signatory. The program aims to implement key terms of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and establish norms for peaceful international space exploration.
The Accords focus on expanding STEM-based knowledge and inspiring future generations to participate in space exploration. They also address the management and mitigation of orbital debris, a crucial aspect for the safety of space missions and satellites.
India's Chandrayaan 3 mission, set to land on the Moon's South Pole on August 23, 2023, plays a significant role in the Artemis Program. The mission's progress is being closely monitored by international agencies, highlighting increased global cooperation in the arena of Outer-Space exploration.
The knowledge gained from lunar exploration will contribute to the long-term objective of sending humans to Mars. The wide-ranging goals and evolving international cooperation make the Artemis Mission a compelling and dynamic endeavour that the GPP team intends to follow closely.
The Artemis Accords recently signed on its 27th country (India) as part of the multi-year mission to establish and implement the Artemis Program. A key mission of this program is to send a woman and a person of colour (POC) to the Moon for the very first time.
The Artemis Accords started by the US in 2020 in collaboration with a group of 7 founding countries (Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, UAE, and the UK) that has now become 28 (and growing) is aiming to achieve the following goals:-
The implementation and adherence to key terms of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty terms alongside several auxiliary treaties such as the Rescue and Return Agreement.
To guide and implement norms of behaviour and protocols for the peaceful implementation of international laws in Outer space while framing a series of non-binding principles for civilian exploration of Outer space.
Expansion of STEM-based knowledge as it relates to Outer space and inspiring the next generation for space exploration and study.
They also set down a series of obligations for all signatories which encompass various treaties and separate obligations set down at the international level in order to preserve the outer space heritage.
A major part of the Accords is the obligation it lays down with regard to management and mitigation of orbital debris and spacecraft disposal methods as this represents a threat to all forms of space exploration both civilian and government. Moreover, the space debris cloud surrounding the Earth is a danger to all Lower and Middle Earth Orbit (LEO and MEO) satellites.
Aside from mission goals, objectives and obligations of countries, the Accords also factor in the role NASA will be playing in coordinating with international partners and space agencies for the implementation of these principles.
The Moon is key to the Artemis Program, which is why their 27th partner, India’s latest mission to the Moon called Chandrayaan 3 is also a key part of the Artemis mission. Given the increased cooperation amongst countries, the current Chandrayaan 3 mission is being tracked not just by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) but also by agencies in the US, EU and Australia. The main launch was also photographed and shared widely on social media, especially from Australia where it illuminated their night sky drawing attention, applause and hope for mission success. (Chandrayaan 3 is supposed to make a soft landing at 70 degrees latitude near the South Pole of the Moon on 23rd August 2023)
The lessons we learn from the exploration of the various parts of the Moon’s surface and the knowledge we generate in terms of environmental understanding and technology regarding deep space exploration from this will then be utilised for the long term goal of sending the first humans to Mars.
The goals of the Artemis Mission are wide-ranging and the technical aspects in terms of cooperation with different agencies and countries are an interesting development since the program first started out in 2020.
We will be tracking the various details of this mission as it goes alongside new relationships and missions as they are forged amongst the 28 countries (so far). Watch this series and London Politica’s GPP page to stay up to date on all things Artemis!