Artemis Accords and Joint Mission with NASA

• 23 Jun 2023

Recently, during Prime Minister’s visit to the United States, India took significant steps towards furthering its space exploration endeavors by joining the Artemis Accord.

• The Accords align closely with NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return to the moon, establish a permanent presence, and further explore deep space.

Key Development

• Signing of Artemis Accords: India officially joined the Artemis Accords, a US-led alliance aimed at fostering international cooperation in planetary exploration and research. Established in October 2020, the Accords consist of 13 principles that promote peaceful and collaborative space exploration.
• By becoming a signatory, India commits to adhering to these principles, which include the peaceful use of space, safety cooperation, and sharing scientific data.
• Joint ISRO-NASA Mission to the International Space Station: ISRO and NASA are developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation.
• Laboratory in Space: As part of this collaboration, the two space agencies plan to undertake a joint mission to the International Space Station, a permanent laboratory in space.
• Comprise 26 Countries: The Artemis Accords currently comprise 26 countries, including traditional US allies and nations with developing space programs. (Notably, China and Russia have not joined the initiative).