India has decided to join the Artemis Accords, which brings like-minded countries together on civil space exploration, and NASA and ISRO have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024. The agreement could give a significant boost to India's space exploration ambitions, sources told Moneycontrol.
The Artemis Accords are a set of principles, guidelines, and best practices applicable for the safe exploration of the Moon and ultimately expand space exploration to Mars and beyond. It is a part of the US government's Artemis program, an American-led effort to return humans to the Moon by 2025.
When India signs the Artemis Accord, it will join the signatory list, which includes the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg, France, Romania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Singapore, Ukraine and South Korea.
“On space, we will be able to announce that India is signing the Artemis Accords, which advance a common vision for space exploration for the benefit of all humankind,” a senior official told PTI. Later in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden are set to meet in the Oval Office.
In addition to the Artemis Accords, NASA and ISRO have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024. The official said that NASA and the ISRO are developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation for this year's planetary exploration.
This development comes at a time when the ISRO is working on a manned space mission called Gaganyaan, and the country's space start-up ecosystem has been attracting significant investor interest amid the so-called funding winter.
The country also recently unveiled its Indian Space Policy which gives an impetus to private participation in the industry.
Like, Artemis Accord, there are other treaties and agreements which stakeholders in the ecosystem feel that India should sign.
One among them is the Moon Agreement, which is an agreement that forbids the establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications on the Moon, the testing of any type of weapons, and the conduct of military manoeuvres on the Moon.
This is significant as the Indian Space Policy 2023, which was recently released a few months ago, empowers the government and private sector to engage in the commercial recovery of an asteroid or a space resource.
(With inputs from PTI)
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