• The Artemis Accords are a practical set of principles, guidelines and best practices to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space with the intention of advancing NASA's Artemis Programme. 

• India signed the Artemis Accord on June 21, 2023. 

• However, India is not a participant in the NASA-led Artemis Programme, which is a mission-driven initiative led by NASA to return humans to the Moon and beyond. 

• India has outlined its own ambitious vision for space exploration under its Space Vision 2047.

Artemis Accords

• Grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST), the Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century. 

• These principles, which include transparency, peaceful purposes, registering of space objects and release of scientific data, help make the space environment safer and more predictable, and allow all nations – even those without space programmes – to benefit from the data obtained in space.

• Co-led for the United States by the Department of State and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Artemis Accords were launched on October 13, 2020 with Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

• Currently, there are 53 signatories.

• From the original eight nations in 2020, Artemis Accords signatories now hail from every part of the globe and possess a variety of space capabilities and interests. 

The Outer Space Treaty

• The creation of a special regime for outer space and celestial bodies was necessitated by the commencement of space activities with the launch of the first artificial satellites of the Earth under an international scientific programme, the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), and the rapid development of rocket technology during that period.

• The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, which is usually called the Outer Space Treaty, is one of the most significant law-making treaties concluded in the second half of the 20th century. 

• It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 1966, opened for signature at London, Moscow and Washington on January 27, 1967, and entered into force on October 10, 1967. 

• The Outer Space Treaty laid down the foundations of international regulation of space activities and thus established the framework of the present legal regime of outer space and celestial bodies.

• Over 100 countries are parties to the treaty.

• India signed the treaty in March 1967 and ratified it in 1982.

Artemis Programme

• Artemis is a long-term exploration campaign to conduct science at the Moon with astronauts and prepare for future human missions to Mars.

• With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, exploration ground systems, and Orion spacecraft, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits, Gateway lunar space station, and future rovers are NASA’s foundation for deep space exploration.

• Artemis I was the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration at the Moon and future missions to Mars. The uncrewed mission was launched on November 16, 2022. 

• NASA targets September 2025 for Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis mission around the Moon, and September 2026 for Artemis III, which is planned to land the first astronauts near the lunar South Pole. Artemis IV, the first mission to the Gateway lunar space station, remains on track for 2028.

Why is this programme called Artemis?

The first missions to take astronauts to the Moon were called the Apollo Programme. The first astronauts landed on the Moon in 1969. Artemis is  Apollo’s twin sister and the Goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. 

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)