India signs Artemis Accords on peaceful Moon exploration

US-led international agreement now involves 27 countries

Indian onlookers watch the launch of the Isro Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle at Sriharikota on November 17, 2022. AFP

India has signed the US-led Artemis Accords, an international agreement that outlines peaceful and responsible exploration of the Moon.

The accords, a non-legally binding set of document drafted by Nasa and the US Department of State, were signed on June 21 during a state visit that includes India's prime minister Narendra Modi.

This brings the total number of signatories to 27, which also includes UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Israel, France and Japan.

"Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Sandhu signed on behalf of the Government of the Republic of India," the US Department of State said.

Indian media also reported earlier this week that the US and India had reached a separate agreement on sending Indian astronauts to the International Space Station in 2024.

A thriving space programme

India has spent billions on its space programme over the years and plans to launch astronauts on a domestically built rocket.

The Indian Space Research Organisation has also carried out lunar missions, and reached the Moon with its Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2008. The orbiter captured data for a year and gleaned vital information on water molecules on the lunar surface.

However, the country’s attempt to soft land on the Moon with its Chandrayaan-2 mission failed in 2019, when the Vikram lander crash-landed.

It is currently planning to launch a third mission to the Moon ― Chandrayaan-3.

India also plans to launch its Shukrayaan-1 orbiter to Venus later this decade.

It became the first country to enter Mars's orbit at the first attempt when its Mangalyaan spacecraft reached the planet in 2014, though it ran out of fuel last year.

Signing the Artemis Accords

India signed the US-led accords despite its strong ties with Russia, which has called the agreement "too US-centric".

China and Russia have their own plans to explore the Moon, with China working on developing the International Lunar Research Station.

China and the US are targeting the same area on the Moon for exploration, with both countries planning missions to the lunar south pole.

The Artemis Accords, launched in 2020, list guidelines to help avoid conflict as more countries set sights on the Moon and Mars, including for lunar resource mining.