It was a simple promise made amid the excitement of a landmark moment in space exploration: “Together we go,” NASA chief Bill Nelson promised the world as the agency prepared to launch Artemis 1, its first lunar-capable rocket after May well over half a century.
Now, nearly two years after the success of that uncrewed mission, and as the US — despite delays — moves ever closer to placing humans on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, the resonance of Nelson’s message has become clear.
NASA has alternated its giant leaps from space with smaller but equally significant steps on the ground, enrolling nearly a quarter of the world’s nations in the Artemis Accords, a global alliance that sets guiding principles for the future peaceful exploration of deep space, notes The Guardian.
Romania, member of the “Artemis generation”
The expansion of the diplomatic sphere has accelerated significantly in recent months, with 12 of the 45 signatories joining since January. Estonia has become the latest member, and Nelson is spending a weekend in October in Bulgaria and Romania, two other members of what he calls the Artemis generation, talking with government and space officials.
A diverse range of partners will be essential, experts say, to NASA’s plans to send a crew, including the first woman and the first black person, to the moon in 2026, but also to its longer-term ambitions to reach Mars. Previous collaboration between the nations gave birth to the International Space Station, but the scale of the Artemis project is unprecedented.
Unprecedented project
“The United States is facilitating a global effort to ensure that through Artemis we are not only building better technology, but also a better future. The Artemis Accords are a preventive move against conflict and to ensure we have a peaceful future. As we developed them, we wanted to make sure they were as comprehensive as possible, so that any nation that wants to support responsible, safe and sustainable exploration can do so,” said Michael Gold, former NASA administrator for policy space and partnerships, who led the office of international and inter-institutional relations.
“It is important not only to take our astronauts into space, but also to launch our values of peace, respect for the rule of law, open science, sustainable activities. This is what the agreements are all about, and it is something that the US, or any other nation, cannot achieve or succeed on its own,” he adds.
Absent from the list of signatories are China and Russia, which are working together on an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project for the Moon’s south pole by 2035. Nelson has warned China that it is masking its military ambitions in space with a civilian program, and many observers see the country’s call for 50 states, including Western ones, to join the ILRS project as a direct challenge to the Artemis Accords.
We also recommend that you read:
Here’s how NASA is building the propulsion systems for the Artemis 2 mission
Two more countries have signed the Artemis Agreements for lunar exploration
Artemis astronauts will revolutionize photography on the Moon with the most powerful camera to date
The Artemis II mission enters its final phase! Final preparations on the most powerful rocket ever built
Source: www.descopera.ro
