IMPERIALISM IN SPACE
Argentina is the latest signatory of the Artemis AccordsBy Karen Graham
DIGITAL JOURNAL
AFP
PublishedJuly 29, 2023
Argentina has joined 27 other nations that have committed to the safe and peaceful exploration of space. Ad Luna! Source - NASA.ARTEMIS
On Thursday, Argentina signed the U.S.-led Artemis Accords, becoming the 28th nation to sign the accords, and the fifth to do so in the last three months.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony, held at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires on Thursday, July 27, along with Daniel Filmus, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, who signed on behalf of Argentina.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández and Marc Stanley, the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, also were in attendance.
“As the United States and Argentina mark two centuries of diplomatic relations this year, we know our partnership over the next century will be deepened by discoveries made together in space,” said Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement.
“Along with our fellow Artemis Accords signatories, the United States and Argentina are setting a standard for 21st-century exploration and use of space. As we explore together, we will explore peacefully, safely, and transparently.”
PublishedJuly 29, 2023
Argentina has joined 27 other nations that have committed to the safe and peaceful exploration of space. Ad Luna! Source - NASA.ARTEMIS
On Thursday, Argentina signed the U.S.-led Artemis Accords, becoming the 28th nation to sign the accords, and the fifth to do so in the last three months.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony, held at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires on Thursday, July 27, along with Daniel Filmus, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, who signed on behalf of Argentina.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández and Marc Stanley, the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, also were in attendance.
“As the United States and Argentina mark two centuries of diplomatic relations this year, we know our partnership over the next century will be deepened by discoveries made together in space,” said Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement.
“Along with our fellow Artemis Accords signatories, the United States and Argentina are setting a standard for 21st-century exploration and use of space. As we explore together, we will explore peacefully, safely, and transparently.”
What are the Artemis Accords?
The moon, our planet’s only natural satellite, has always fascinated humanity. In the more recent past, the former Soviet Union and the United States engaged in a costly and dangerous space race, culminating in a man setting foot on the lunar surface in 1969.
It has now been over 50 years since that first walk on the moon, and humans have not returned. Yet, a number of countries are interested in getting to the moon and establishing a base of operations.
So NASA and the US State Department, in 2020, drafted what was called a “framework for cooperation in the civil exploration and peaceful use of the Moon, Mars, and other astronomical objects,” now known as the Artemis Accords.‘
The Artemis Accords reinforce and implement the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, otherwise known as the Outer Space Treaty.
They also reinforce the commitment by the U.S. and partner nations to the Registration Convention, the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, and other norms of behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.
Apollo 11 became the first mission to land human beings on the lunar surface. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin Jr. descended in the lunar module “Eagle” on July 20, 1969, to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the Moon.
Source – NASA/Artemis
On October 13, 2020, the accords were signed. The founding member nations that have signed the Artemis Accords, in alphabetical order, are:AustraliaCanadaItalyJapanLuxembourgUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States of America
Since that time, additional signatories include Ukraine, South Korea, New Zealand, Brazil, Poland, Mexico, Israel, Romania, Bahrain, Singapore, Colombia, France, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Nigeria, Czech Republic, Spain, Ecuador, India, and Argentina. The Accords remain open for signature indefinitely, as NASA anticipates more nations joining.
The Artemis Accords have generally been welcomed for advancing international law and cooperation in space. Observers note that the substance of the Accords is “uncontentious” and represent a “significant political attempt to codify key principles of space law” for governing nations’ space activities.
But with all the positive press heaped on the accords, there has also been criticism. Generally, they have been criticized for allegedly being “too centered on American and commercial interests.”
An interesting paper, published in the Journal Science on October 9, 2020, noted that Russia condemned the Artemis Accords as a “blatant attempt to create international space law that favors the United States.”[
Besides possibly being an opportunity for China in light of the Wolf Amendment, Chinese government-affiliated media has called the Accords “akin to European colonial enclosure land-taking methods.”
The Wolf Amendment of 2011 prohibits the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from using government funds to engage in direct, bilateral cooperation with the Chinese government and China-affiliated organizations. (That is why China does not have anything to do with the International Space Station).
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