The Canadian Space Agency (CAS) has hosted the second international face-to-face workshop of Artemis Accords signatories. The event at CSA headquarters in Montreal over May 21 -23, 2024, drew space officials from two dozen nations.
Participants engaged in robust discussions and conducted a tabletop exercise centred on further defining and implementing fundamental tenets, including considering views on non-interference, interoperability, and scientific data sharing among nations.
For example, during the workshop, participants delved more deeply into topics such as non-interference and interoperability. These discussions build upon prior work, such as an initial set of mission data parameters agreed to by the signatories last October. The data parameters identify necessary information about planned lunar surface missions, including expected launch dates, the general nature of activities, and the landing location.
Sharing such information will support safer lunar operations by ensuring signatories’ respective missions do not inadvertently interfere with each other. Transparency and communication are keys to peaceful exploration, and the Artemis Accords signatories are committed to sharing information about their activities and outcomes through the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) and other appropriate channels.
“The days of going to space alone are long over,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “We are in a new age where nations globally go to space to both explore deeper and gain a better understanding about our place in the universe.”
Since the Artemis Accords were created nearly four years ago, 39 countries have joined the United States in a voluntary commitment to engage in transparent and responsible behaviour in space. The commitments undertaken under the Artemis Accords and the significant efforts by the signatories to advance the implementation of these principles are essential to the success of the Artemis campaign for NASA and its partners and for the success of the safe and sustainable exploration activities of the other Accords signatories.
NASA expects additional countries to sign the Artemis Accords in the weeks and months ahead. Signatory principals will gather again for face-to-face discussions on the margins of the International Astronautical Congress in October.
