India Signs the Artemis Accords in a Milestone for Space Diplomacy

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Biden on a state visit in Washington on June 22. Photo: White House

India has signed the Artemis Accords, a multinational agreement with a common vision for space exploration. India and the U.S. announced the signing on Thursday while India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the U.S. on a state visit. 

The Artemis Accords began in 2020 and now have 27 countries committed to peaceful, sustainable, and transparent cooperation in space exploration. The accords are non-binding, but reinforce the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and include principles on registering space objects, conducting space activities with transparency, and committing to safe orbital debris disposal. 

“By taking the decision to join the Artemis Accords, we have taken a big leap forward in our space cooperation. For India and America partnership, even the sky is not the limit,” Modi said in a joint press conference with President Biden in Washington on June 22. 

In addition, NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have also agreed to develop a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of this year. NASA will also train Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, planning for a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson applauded the agreement. “We look forward to all that we will accomplish here on Earth and in space, including our joint Earth science mission NISAR, and are especially grateful for India’s signing of the Artemis Accords. We can do more when we work together,” the administrator tweeted. 

Ecuador also signed the Artemis Accords on Thursday.