A high-ranking NASA official has said that India, a global power and one of the few countries with independent space access, should be part of the Artemis team, which brings together countries with similar goals for civilian space exploration.
The Artemis Agreement is a set of non-binding principles designed to guide civilian space exploration and use in the 21st century. They are based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST).
By 2025, it will be a project led by the United States that will expand space exploration to Mars and beyond.
India is hoping to become the 26th signatory to the Artemis agreement by May 2023, according to Bhavya Lal, associate administrator for technology, policy and strategy in the Office of the NASA Administrator, who spoke to PTI on Friday.
“I think signing the Artemis agreement should be a priority (for India). I mean, NASA feels very strongly that India, it’s a global power. It’s one of the few countries with independent access to space, has a thriving launch industry, has been to the Moon, been to Mars, it needs to be part of the Artemis team,” she said.
“It’s about how do we make sure the place remains sustainable for future generations. So, I think the advantage is that like-minded countries that have similar values have a chance to explore together, Lal said.
He said the advantage is that India declares itself a global space power and places high value on sustainable exploration, responsible space use, cooperation and transparency.
Lal, born in Mathura but spent her childhood in New Delhi, was the first woman to hold the position of acting chief technologist at NASA in more than 60 years.
Lal was the acting head of NASA prior to his current position, where he oversaw the agency’s transition during the first 100 days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
According to Lal, there is a need for cooperation and Artemis program between India and America on the moon.
“We actually recently established a Human Space Flight Working Group. The goal of that group is to develop a strategy for what we should do and how. I look forward to coming up with concrete opportunities to collaborate. Lots of success to the team,” he said.
“NISAR (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is to be launched early next year. I hope it is on track,” the most notable position of the Indian American at NASA expressed ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US next week done.
Greeted by President Biden, PM Modi arrives here next week on an official state visit, during which coordinated space efforts and related issues are expected to be one of the important areas of talks.
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