Artemis Accords

22.04.2024

Artemis Accords

Why in the  news?                                                                                                           

Recently, Sweden joined the Artemis Accords, committing to peaceful space exploration.

Important points:

• Sweden has officially joined the Artemis Accords, pledging its commitment to the outlined principles such as transparency, interoperability and peaceful uses of space.
• Sweden has become the 38th country to join the Artemis agreement. Whereas Slovenia has become the 39th country.
• Currently the United States, India and Japan are the leading space faring countries that have signed the agreement.

About Artemis Accords:

• The Artemis Accords are a set of principles and guidelines for international cooperation in space exploration.
• This agreement is exclusively between countries participating in NASA's Artemis program.
• The Artemis Accords are a set of principles to guide the next steps in space exploration, announced by NASA and the US State Department in 2020.
• It was named after NASA's Artemis program.
• The Artemis Agreement was established by the US State Department and NASA in 2020 with seven other founding members: Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the UAE, and the UK.
• The agreement is based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which emphasizes space as a shared resource for humanity.
• The purpose of this agreement is to return humans to the Moon.
• The Artemis Agreement, jointly operated by NASA and the US State Department, is signed at the national level rather than by individual organizations.

Countries that have signed the Artemis Accords:

• Angola, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland , Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay.
• India joined the Artemis Accords in 2023, becoming the 27th country to sign the non-binding agreement.

Key commitments of the Artemis Agreement:

• To conduct space activities for peaceful purposes and in accordance with international law.
• To recognize the importance of common exploration infrastructure to enhance scientific discovery and commercial exploitation.

                                       Source: Indian Express