India joins Artemis Accord

Why in news?

India became the 27^th signatory to the American-led Artemis Accords.

What are Artemis Accords?

• The US established the Artemis Accords together with 7 other founding member nations in 2020.
• The Artemis Accords reinforce and implement key obligations in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
• These Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration cooperation among nations participating in the agency’s 21st century lunar exploration plans.
• It currently has 27 signatories including India.

Artemis mirrors a Chinese-Russian plan for an ‘International Lunar Research Station’ (ILRS).

What is done under Artemis Accords?

The Artemis programme this time plans for permanent settlements on the Moon.

• The project plan includes
  • a base on the lunar surface
  • multiple spacecraft to ferry humans and cargo
  • a small orbiting space station called the ‘Lunar Gateway’
  • a constellation of satellites to help with navigation and communication
• The Artemis Accords was created by the U.S to act as a soft-law alternative to the Moon Agreement, which limits resource extraction in celestial bodies.
• If Artemis Programme succeed in permanent settlement in lunar surface, resource extraction will be limited to lunar surface.
• A key provision in the Artemis Accords allows for actors to extract and utilise space resources.

Artemis programme - An American-led effort to return humans to the moon by 2025, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond.

What is the Moon Agreement of 1979?

• The Moon Agreement of 1979 is directed towards the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies.
• It limits the scope of exploitation of resources from these celestial bodies.
• It establishes that the moon and other celestial bodies are ‘the province of all mankind’.
• It declares that these regions of space must only be for peaceful purposes, with no state allowed to establish military bases or place weapons on celestial bodies.
• Signatory - Despite being instrumental in the drafting of the Moon Agreement, the United States did not ratify it.
• India is a signatory to the Moon Agreement, but is yet to ratify it.

What is it that India seeks to gain out of Artemis?

• Gaganyaan - Parties to the Accords gain greatly from the exchange of information and gain access to NASA’s Artemis programme.
• This shared information would greatly help India’s own Gaganyaan mission.
• Benefits ISRO - NASA and ISRO have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024.
• This opens avenues for knowledge sharing, joint research, and technological exchange between the two space agencies.
• Earlier, ISRO and NASA collaborated in the development of NISAR Mission.
• Bilateral ties - The ties between India and the U.S. have been on an upswing and this accord improves bilateral space cooperation between them.
• India in its new space policy allows private players to mine any ‘space resource,’ which presumably includes the Moon.
• Economic potential - It allows Indian companies and industries to participate in the global space economy and access new markets.
• Space industry - Increased investment in the space sector drives job creation, research and development and the growth of India’s space industry.
• Collaboration - India can collaborate and gain knowledge from other Artemis signatories.

What is the way forward?

• India has much work to do to make the most of the Artemis programme.
• India will have to increase its budget for space.
• It has to overcome domestic resistance to collaboration with other space agencies.
• India has to enable its private sector to work with other Artemis members, and develop legislation that encourages space activities.

References

1. NASA - NASA Welcomes India as 27th Artemis Accords Signatory
2. The Hindu - India and the Artemis Accords
3. The Hindu - India has signed the Artemis Accords