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Germany Joins Artemis Accords, Strengthening Multilateral Space Norms

  • 19 Sep 2023

On 14th Sept, Germany became the 29th nation to sign the Artemis Accords, a multinational agreement led by the United States aimed at establishing space and lunar surface behaviour norms.

Key Points

  • Strategic Addition: Germany's signature adds significant weight to the growing list of countries aligning their space policies with the United States.
  • Economic Powerhouse: Germany is recognized as the economic powerhouse of Europe and a longstanding contributor to the European space program.
  • Diplomatic Significance: The signing is considered significant for the Artemis program, reinforcing international cooperation in space exploration.

India's Participation in Artemis Accords

  • 27th Signatory: India became the 27th country to join the nonbinding Artemis Accords in July 2023.
  • Collaboration with NASA: NASA and ISRO to collaborate on sending Indian astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024.

About Artemis Accords

  • Formation: Established by the U.S. State Department and NASA in 2020.
  • Founding Members: Includes Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, UAE, UK, and the U.S.
  • Purpose: Sets principles for civil exploration and use of outer space, celestial bodies (moon, Mars), and comets/asteroids for peaceful purposes.
  • Foundation: Builds upon the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, emphasizing space as a shared resource for humanity.

Accord Commitments

  • Peaceful Purposes: Conduct space activities for peaceful purposes following international law.
  • Common Infrastructure: Recognize the importance of common exploration infrastructure.
  • Registration and Data Sharing: Register space objects, share scientific data, with exemptions for private sectors acting on behalf of a signatory.
  • Preservation of Heritage: Preserve historic celestial body sites, artifacts, and evidence.
  • Utilization of Space Resources: Utilization must support safe and sustainable activities, with shared information to prevent interference.
  • Mitigation of Debris: Plan for safe disposal of spacecraft, limit harmful debris generation.

Main Artemis Program Missions

  • Artemis-I: Unmanned mission to the moon, launched on November 16, 2022.
  • Artemis-II: Crewed lunar flyby mission scheduled for 2024.
  • Artemis-III: Human return to the moon in 2025, with plans for a Lunar Gateway station in 2029.

Benefits and Challenges for India

Benefits

  • Access to advanced training, technology, and scientific opportunities.
  • Advancement of India's lunar exploration goals like Chandrayaan-3.
  • Enhancement of capabilities for the Gaganyaan human mission and future space endeavors.
  • Opportunity for mutual advancements in space exploration through India's cost-effective missions and innovative approach.

Challenges

  • Possible alignment with the U.S. against other major space powers like China and Russia with their lunar exploration plans.
  • Uncertainty about the legal status and implications, especially regarding unregulated moon mining.
  • Balancing commitments under Artemis Accords with obligations under other multilateral frameworks or treaties on outer space.