AIAA Applauds NASA’s Artemis Accords Written 15 May 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michele McDonald
703.264.7542
michelem@aiaa.org
May 15, 2020 – Reston, Va. –The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) applauds NASA’s announcement of the Artemis Accords, a set of common principles created to govern the civil exploration and use of outer space.
“The Artemis Accords will provide the framework needed to build international partnerships and agreement for how we explore space sustainably and use space resources,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA executive director. “International collaboration will be essential to returning to the moon in a sustainable manner and then to Mars. It’s vital for all the players to agree upon such ‘norms of behavior’ as peaceful purposes, transparency in policies and plans, technical interoperability, sharing scientific data, providing emergency assistance, and registering space objects. The discoveries made as we work toward these milestones could transform other areas of daily life. By working together, we will build a space ecosystem that will benefit us all.”
The principles in the Artemis Accords are:
Peaceful Purposes
International cooperation on the Artemis program is intended not only to bolster space exploration but also to enhance peaceful relationships between nations. Therefore, at the core of the Artemis Accords is the requirement that all activities will be conducted for peaceful purposes, per the tenets of the Outer Space Treaty.
Transparency
Transparency is a key principle for responsible civil space exploration and NASA has always taken care to publicly describe its policies and plans. Artemis Accords partner nations will be required to uphold this principle by publicly describing their own policies and plans in a transparent manner.
Interoperability
Interoperability of systems is critical to ensure safe and robust space exploration. Therefore, the Artemis Accords call for partner nations to utilize existing international standards, develop new standards when necessary, and strive to support interoperability to the greatest extent practical.
Emergency Assistance
Providing emergency assistance to those in need is a cornerstone of any responsible civil space program. Therefore, the Artemis Accords reaffirm NASA’s and partner nations’ commitments to the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts, and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space. Additionally, under the Accords, NASA and partner nations commit to taking all reasonable steps possible to render assistance to astronauts in distress.
Registration of Space Objects
Registration is at the very core of creating a safe and sustainable environment in space to conduct public and private activities. Without proper registration, coordination to avoid harmful interference cannot take place. The Artemis Accords reinforces the critical nature of registration and urges any partner that isn’t already a member of the Registration Convention to join as soon as possible.
Release of Scientific Data
NASA has always been committed to the timely, full, and open sharing of scientific data.
Artemis Accords partners will agree to follow NASA’s example, releasing their scientific data publicly to ensure that the entire world can benefit from the Artemis journey of exploration and discovery.
Protecting Heritage
Protecting historic sites and artifacts will be just as important in space as it is here on Earth. Therefore, under Artemis Accords agreements, NASA and partner nations will commit to the protection of sites and artifacts with historic value.
Space Resources
The ability to extract and utilize resources on the moon, Mars, and asteroids will be critical to support safe and sustainable space exploration and development. The Artemis Accords reinforce that space resource extraction and utilization can and will be conducted under the auspices of the Outer Space Treaty, with specific emphasis on Articles II, VI, and XI.
Deconfliction of Activities
Avoiding harmful interference is an important principle of the Outer Space Treaty, which is implemented by the Artemis Accords. Specifically, via the Artemis Accords, NASA and partner nations will provide public information regarding the location and general nature of operations that will inform the scale and scope of “Safety Zones.” Notification and coordination between partner nations to respect such safety zones will prevent harmful interference, implementing Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty and reinforcing the principle of due regard.
Orbital Debris and Spacecraft Disposal
Preserving a safe and sustainable environment in space is critical for both public and private activities. Therefore, under the Artemis Accords, NASA and partner nations will agree to act in a manner that is consistent with the principles reflected in the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Moreover, NASA and partner nations will agree to plan for the mitigation of orbital debris, including the safe, timely, and efficient passivation and disposal of spacecraft at the end of their missions.
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.