Artemis Accords: US signs deal with India to counter China in space race
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In a significant shift from its conventional stance of staying away from voluntary agreements for international space policy, India has become the latest signatory to the Artemis Accords. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed the Accords during his first official state visit this week, The White House said in a press release.
For years India has advocated for a legally binding treaty to govern global space activities and prevent its weaponization. A country that has advocated against strong space policy ties with Russia or the US in the past, India has seen itself as an important counterweight to geopolitical rivalries and called for international law to monitor civilian and military space activities.
In the past decade, Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) has made giant strides with its mission to Moon and Mars but its achievements have been dwarfed by the successes of its neighbor China, which has even surpassed the US in annual launch count.
What are Artemis Accords?
Established in 2020, the Artemis Accords are a common set of principles for governing the exploration of space and the use of outer space. These include transparency, interoperability, registration of space objects, energy assistance, sharing of scientific data as well as norms for extraction of space resources and their utilization to name a few.
While these Accords were meant to set a common ground among the participating nations and private companies involved in the upcoming Artemis Missions, it has also gained geopolitical importance as more nations have signed up as signatories taking the tally up to 27, with China being the notable absentee.
Move to counter China's rising influence?
While US-China ties dip to new lows, India's relationship with its neighbor has also been on shaky grounds after territorial disputes in the country's north. Not only is China aiming to supersede the US in developing technologies on Earth, but has also signed an agreement with Russia to establish a research station on the Moon.
China is no longer content with being a member of the elite space club but wants to be a space power with leading expertise in areas such as artificial intelligence(AI), robotics, manufacturing, servicing space vehicles and space-based solar power as humanity aims to reach out to Mars and beyond, The Interpreter states.
With Beijing looking to use its technological prowess as a soft-power tool on a global stage, the US is working to counter its rising influence and expansion of civil and military space activities. And now, with India signing up for the Artemis Accords, the US has further succeeded in isolating China.
After becoming a signatory, NASA and ISRO also announced a joint mission scheduled for next year, details of which are scarce as of now. A joint mission with NASA within a short span of time might add some urgency at ISRO whose launches are yet to pick up pace after the pandemic.
India has some ambitious missions in the pipeline this year aiming to launch a solar observatory mission in August.
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