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Artemis Accords: Why many countries are refusing to sign moon exploration agreement - Livescience.com
Oct 20, 2020 1 min, 45 secs

Eight countries have signed the Artemis Accords, a set of guidelines surrounding the Artemis Program for crewed exploration of the moon.

Previous attempts to govern space have been through painstakingly negotiated international treaties. The Outer Space Treaty 1967 laid down the foundational principles for human space exploration – it should be peaceful and benefit all mankind, not just one country.

The moon Agreement of 1979 attempted to prevent commercial exploitation of outer-space resources, but only a small number of states have ratified it – the US, China and Russia haven’t.

Now that the US is pursuing the Artemis Program, the question of how states will behave in exploring the moon and using its resources has come to a head.

The signing of the accords represents a significant political attempt to codify key principles of space law and apply them to the program.

All seven partners who have agreed to the accords with the US are natural collaborators on the Artemis Program and will easily adhere to the stated principles.

There is an explicit statement that the mining of space resources is in accordance with international law.

If the substance is reassuring, the US promotion of the accords outside of the "normal" channels of international space law – such as the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – will be a cause of consternation for some states.

The European Space Agency (ESA) as an organization has not signed on to the accords either, but a number of ESA member states have.

Ultimately, the Artemis Accords are revolutionary in the field of space exploration.

Using bilateral agreements that dictate norms of behavior as a condition of involvement in a program is a significant change in space governance.

While broader international acceptance may be desirable, the US believes that the lure of the opportunities afforded by the Artemis Program will bring other partners on board soon enough.

Space-active states now face a stark choice: miss out on being the first to use the resources of the moon, or accept the price of doing business and sign up to the Artemis Accords.

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