US and 7 Allied Countries Sign 'Artemis Accords'... Excluding China and Russia from Space Development

Japan, UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, Luxembourg, UAE Participate
Countering China's Space Ambitions, Russia Refuses Participation...Excluded from Joint Development

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States announced that it has signed the "Artemis Accords," a cooperative agreement on joint space development and lunar exploration with seven U.S. allied countries. This agreement, led by the United States, is interpreted as an effort to exclude and check China and Russia?who are intensifying competition in space development?from joint space development.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP) on the 13th (local time), NASA announced that it signed the Artemis Accords with seven U.S. allied countries: Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Italy, Luxembourg, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stated, "The Artemis Accords will be the most extensive and diverse international space exploration program in history," adding, "This agreement is a means to build an outstanding global coalition." He continued, "Through today's agreement, we stand united with our lunar exploration partner countries and establish important principles that can create a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future," and expressed hope that more countries will join.

In this agreement, NASA outlined ten provisions including ▲peaceful lunar exploration ▲development of exploration systems accessible to all member countries ▲registration of space launch vehicles ▲mutual cooperation in emergencies ▲disclosure of scientific data ▲preservation of historic sites of space exploration ▲and space debris management. According to The Washington Post (WP), member countries agreed to establish safety zones to prevent conflicts while their domestic private companies extract and develop resources on the moon.

Although mainly composed of contents related to private space development, there is a growing analysis that this is a strategic move to check China. AFP reported, "This agreement opens the door for seven countries to participate in the U.S. 'Artemis' project, which aims to send humans back to the moon by 2024, while excluding China, a competitor in space exploration." It is interpreted as an effort to check China's rapid space rise, which is catching up with the U.S. at a frightening pace, including the recent launch of its own satellite navigation system, BeiDou.

Russia previously refused to participate, claiming that the Artemis Accords appear to be excessively militaristic. Russia has cooperated with the U.S. and other countries in the International Space Station (ISS) program and supplied launch rockets for major U.S. space projects before the Donald Trump administration, but is currently closely aligned with China. It is known that Russia and China are discussing building a joint base on the far side of the moon.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.