One of the most crucial outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden state visit to the US was in the field of space exploration and research as India joined the league of 26 other nations which includes Australia, Canada, Italy and Japan, who have signed the Artemis Accords, a US-led effort to send humans back to the moon by 2025 and with an ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond.
Derived from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the Accords consist of a collection of principles that signify a political commitment. It is a comprehensive framework of guidelines that aim to govern the exploration and utilization of space in the modern era. The primary objective of these non-binding accords is to enhance the governance of civil exploration and utilization of outer space, specifically in support of the Artemis program. The provided guidelines of the program apply to the civil space activities carried out by the space agencies of the participating countries. The Artemis Accords were introduced on Oct. 13, 2020, with eight founding members: Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The accords intended to promote sustainable and beneficial utilization of space along with an effort to enhance the safety of operations. Ecuador became the 26th country to sign the Accords on June 21, 2023, before Prime Minister Modi announced India’s agreement to join the Accords.
With the Artemis accords in place, NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will develop a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of 2023 including a visit to the International Space Station by Indian astronauts. India has also approved a $318 million investment to construct a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India. The LIGO-India project will be built by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) – which will work along with similar facilities in the US, EU, and Japan to look for ripples in space-time, known as gravitational waves, which will provide insights into the physical origins of the universe. Not only that, the United States and India will also embark on several space cooperation initiatives in the near future according to a statement by the White House.
Mike Gold, who played a role in the inception of the Artemis Accords during his tenure at NASA, emphasized that India’s exceptional innovation expertise and its ability to undertake ambitious activities at an affordable cost will benefit NASA immensely. India is one of the world’s most advanced space powers, just behind the United States and China and its participation will be crucial for the successful progression of the moon exploration efforts under the Artemis program. ISRO has grown significantly in the 21st century despite its humble beginnings in the 70s. It has already made its name in the Satellite launch industry with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which successfully carried and deployed a record 104 satellites in sun-synchronous orbits in a single mission on Feb. 15, 2017 breaking the earlier record of 37 satellites by a Russian Dnepr rocket. With Chandrayan-1 making numerous observations of the lunar surface in 2008, ISRO made significant strides in the field of planetary science and exploration. Among its many achievements was the discovery of the widespread presence of water molecules in lunar soil. Despite the landing effort of the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover during the Chandrayan-2 mission ending in failure on 6 September 2019, the Chandrayan-2 orbiter marked a significant leap in lunar exploration for the South Asian giant. Mangalyan mission was the most ambitious of all which assumed the Mars orbit in 2014 and made numerous observations on the Martian surface and the Martian moon Phobos. Currently, ISRO is working on its Chandrayan-3 which is scheduled to launch in July 2023 and is also developing a human spacecraft – Gaganyan, which will be launched by a version of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) renamed as Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3). Test flight for India’s First man mission is scheduled for 2025.
As seen, India’s space program is already a powerhouse in the space exploration and research sector and with ISRO, the premier Indian space agency joining the expanded space cooperation alliance, they will gain access to NASA’s technology along with a partner with more experience and expertise in the field that they are aiming for. This will also provide an upper hand over neighbouring China, a regional opponent which has its own lunar ambitions to establish a lunar base.
Space exploration has been used as a form of soft power for decades with the space race between the two superpowers- the US and the USSR playing a vital role during the cold war and China has been doing the same lately. Pakistan, a bitter enemy of India has been invited by Beijing to sign an agreement with China National Space Administration (CNSA) to participate in research for its Tiangong Space Station, a permanently crewed space station being constructed under China Manned Space Program and operated by China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Similar to China, India has been actively working to strengthen its capabilities and influence in space, which includes the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme (IHSP), which was initiated in 2007 along with pursuing various space exploration projects. After conducting successful crewed spaceflights, the Indian Space Agency also intends to start a space station programme, crewed lunar landings and crewed interplanetary missions in the long term. India joining the Artemis alliance is in their own way a form of soft power outreach by them. India’s decision to join the Accords also aligns with its involvement in platforms like the Quad. By signing the Accords, it has demonstrated its commitment to collaborate with Quad partners in establishing global guidelines for outer space activities. This is also a big deal as India has long seen itself as a counterweight to geopolitical rivalries as New Delhi has managed to avoid close space policy alliances with both the United States and Russia. India has also been known for its steadfast commitment to maintaining independence in its civil and military space development endeavours too.
Participation in the Accords will bring significant economic benefits as well. Indian companies will now have the opportunity to enter the global space economy and explore new markets. Collaborative space missions will open doors for technology transfer, joint ventures, and commercial partnerships, contributing to the growth of India’s space industry. Increased investments in the space sector will also lead to job creation and provide a boost to research and development efforts. The agreement also grants Indian scientists access to advanced technology and research conducted by NASA and the International Space Station, enabling them to stay at the forefront of scientific advancements.
As space becomes a new playground for power dynamics, the Artemis Accords present India with new opportunities, especially at a time when China is establishing itself as the next big player. This agreement will push India further into the emerging world order that extends beyond Earth’s orbit, where exploration of the cosmos and finding India’s position in the vast universe are ongoing endeavours. It signifies India’s active engagement in shaping the future of space exploration and its quest to establish a significant presence in the Modern era of space politics.
[Photo by Indian Space Research Organisation, via Wikimedia Commons]
Harsh Shivam is a graduate of English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
