Eight nations sign Artemis Accord assuring peaceful exploration of the moon

NIRMAL YESODA

As NASA is busy formulating its plans to land humans on the moon by 2024, seven nations including the United States have signed the Artemis Accord that assures peaceful exploration on the moon. Other nations that have signed the Artemis Accord are Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

The Artemis Accord is reinforcing the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, a non-armament document that ensures the usage of dangerous weapons on the moon and other space bodies. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty was signed by 110 countries including America’s arch-rivals Russia and China.

According to the NASA website, the major principles of the Artemis Accords are:

• Peaceful Exploration: All activities conducted under the Artemis program must be for peaceful purposes
• Transparency: Artemis Accords signatories will transparently conduct their activities to avoid confusion and conflicts
• Interoperability: Nations participating in the Artemis program will strive to support interoperable systems to enhance safety and sustainability
• Emergency Assistance: Artemis Accords signatories commit to rendering assistance to personnel in distress
• Registration of Space Objects: Any nation participating in Artemis must be a signatory to the Registration Convention or become a signatory with alacrity
• Release of Scientific Data: Artemis Accords signatories commit to the public release of scientific information, allowing the whole world to join us on the Artemis journey
• Preserving Heritage: Artemis Accords signatories commit to preserving outer space heritage
  Space Resources: Extracting and utilizing space resources is key to safe and sustainable exploration and the Artemis Accords signatories affirm that such activities should be conducted in compliance with the Outer Space Treaty.
• Deconfliction of Activities: The Artemis Accords nations commit to preventing harmful interference and supporting the principle of due regard, as required by the Outer Space Treaty.
• Orbital Debris: Artemis Accords countries commit to planning for the safe disposal of debris

However, neither Russia nor China, who are front-runners have not signed Artemis Accord put forward by NASA. Several space experts believe that the reluctance of these world powers to sign this accord could result in another Cold War in the near future.