India Signs The Artemis Accords

Keith’s note: India has signed the Artemis Accords. Frequent mention has been made of joint U.S. – India cooperation in space activities including the sending of an Indian astronaut to the ISS. Here are the official mentions of this reinforced space cooperation that have bene released during Modis visit to the U.S.:

“3. President Biden and Prime Minister Modi set a course to reach new frontiers across all sectors of space cooperation. The leaders applauded our growing cooperation on earth and space science, and space technologies. They welcomed the decision of NASA and ISRO to develop a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of 2023. The leaders hailed the announcement by NASA to provide advanced training to Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024.The leaders celebrated the delivery of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite to ISRO’s U.R. Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, India, and looked forward to NISAR’s 2024 launch from India. Welcoming India’s Space Policy – 2023, the leaders called for enhanced commercial collaboration between the U.S. and Indian private sectors in the entire value chain of the space economy and to address export controls and facilitate technology transfer. President Biden deeply appreciated India’s signing of the Artemis Accords, which advance a common vision of space exploration for the benefit of all humankind.”

Source: Joint Statement from the United States and India

“New Frontiers in Space: India has signed the Artemis Accords, which advance a common vision of space exploration for the benefit of all humankind. India joins 26 other countries committed to peaceful, sustainable, and transparent cooperation that will enable exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA will provide advanced training to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) astronauts with the goal of launching a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024. Additionally, NASA and the ISRO are developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of 2023. India approved a $318 million investment to construct a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in India—that will work in tandem with similar facilities in the United States, Europe, and Japan to look for ripples in space-time, known as gravitational waves, that provide insights into the physical origins of the universe. Scientific payloads for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) have been delivered to India and will be launched in 2024, and will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems like natural hazards and sea level rise. The US Geological Survey and ISROare negotiating expanded bilateral data exchange that will enable greater insight about the earth, including for a range of applications, such as climate resiliency, sustainable development and management of natural resources, and disaster management support.”

Source: FACT SHEET: Republic of India Official State Visit to the United States

Biden: “And with this visit, we’re demonstrating once more how India and the United States are collaborating on nearly every human endeavor and delivering progress across the board, for — from designing new ways to diagnose and treat illnesses like cancer and diabetes; to collaborating on human spaceflight including sending an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024; to accelerating the global clean energy transition and tackling climate — the climate crisis we face; to harnessing our shared expertise on critical and emerging technologies like quantum computing and artificial intelligence to ensuring they are not used as tools of misinformation and oppression.”

Modi: “In the area of space, science, and technologies, we have had longstanding cooperation. By taking the decision to join the Artemis Accords, we have taken a big leap forward in our space cooperation. In fact, in short, for India and America partnership, even the sky is not the limit.”

Source: Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Modi of the Republic of India in Joint Press Conference