India decides to sign Artemis Accords

Context– India has decided to join the  U.S. led Artemis Accords  that shall bring both countries together on civil space exploration.

Key highlights:

• ISRO and NASA have agreed on a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024.
• The development in space cooperation comes amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. wherein a range of deals in the areas of defense and commerce shall be announced to boost India-U.S. ties.

About the Artemis Accord:

•  Grounded in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the Artemis Accords is a non-binding international agreement ,designed to guide civil space exploration and sustainable use.
• Artemis program is NASA’s initiative to return humans to the Moon, in which it aims to land the first women and the first person of color on the Earth’s natural satellite.
• The need for Artemis Accords was realized as the number of missions and operations around Moon by numerous countries and private firms have significantly increased over the years.
• The agreement is meant to reinforce the commitment by the United States and the signatory nations for the peaceful use of outer space. 
• The Artemis Accords govern principles that describe the best practices in carrying out activities in outer space and are intended to increase the safety of operations ,reduce uncertainty and promote the sustainable and beneficial use of space for all humankind.
• The agreement applies to all civil space activities conducted by the civil space agencies of each of the signatory nations. The activities include on Moon,Mars,comets and asteroids and other celestial bodies. It also lays guidelines on cooperation among countries on ensuring transparency mechanisms on space exploration ,sharing scientific information,development of interoperable and common exploration infrastructure and standards,preserving space heritage among other principles.
• The U.S.led Artemis Accords were launched in October 2020 with Australia ,Italy,Canada,Japan,Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates,the United Kingdom and the UNited States. As of May 2023,there are 25 signatories.

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