At this years unique CyberSpace edition of the International Astronautical Congress, Canada and six other nations signed the US Artemis Accords. However, it is notable as to who didn’t.
Canada joined Australia, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom in signing the Artemis Accords.
The Artemis Accords are “principles for cooperation in the civil exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, Comets and Asteroids.” The final signed version of the accords has been changed slightly to include Comets and Asteroids at the request of Japan.
Canada signs the Artemis Accords
It comes as no surprise that Canada signed the updated Artemis Accords. Canada has always been a staunch ally and partner of the US space program. The two nations work well together and have many of the same goals and ambitions.
By signings the Accords and having the federal government buy into the NASA led Artemis Program, Canada has positioned itself to be a stakeholder in cislunar space and on the Moon. Of course, for Canada to retain its position the government will need to follow through with the promise of its $2.05 billion over the coming 24 years. Some of the funding is already flowing in support of the Canadarm3 and the Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program.
The Canadian Space Agency issued the following statement on the occasion of new President Lisa Campbell signing the Accords.
Canada is happy to be part of this group of space-faring nations committed to conducting deep-space exploration missions in a safe and sustainable manner and in full compliance with the Outer Space Treaty.
Canada’s space sector is gearing up for missions to the Moon and beyond. We are a proud partner of the Lunar Gateway, to which we are contributing Canadarm3 – a smart robotic system. We are also funding science and technology development in fields like artificial intelligence, robotics and health, through our Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program.
Canada recognizes the exciting opportunities presented by emerging exploration, science and commercial space activities. The set of principles outlined in the Artemis Accords represents an important first step towards ensuring that these missions are conducted in a safe, sustainable and transparent manner.
We will be consulting Canadians on these emerging space activities. Our goal is to determine how best to implement the principles of the Artemis Accords in a way that positions Canadian industry to leverage new opportunities, while ensuring we continue to meet our obligations under the Outer Space Treaty.
At the same time, we will continue working with the international community through the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
The Artemis Accords are an important achievement for safe and sustainable space exploration, but more work is needed to further solidify the framework for deep-space exploration activities, both nationally and internationally.
Canada is excited to be working with the international community as we safely and sustainably expand our exploration beyond Earth’s orbit.
Thank you.
Who didn’t sign and why
When the US released the Artemis Accords its strategy was to sign bilateral agreements with each nation as opposed to crafting a multilateral agreement with all interested countries, or treaty, as was the case with the International Space Station.
Compared with negotiating multilateral treaty which can take years, the US wanted to move fast so it opted for the quicker bilateral option. This certainly simplified the process, but it also raised the ire of several nations. To start, rather than dealing with the European Space Agency (ESA) which represents 22 nations, they approached nations individually. Only three ESA member states have signed on so far, Italy, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom.
So who hasn’t signed on? It comes as no surprise that Russia and China haven’t signed on. Russia may in the future, but that’s far from certain. At the International Astronautical Congress Heads of Agencies panel, Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of ROSCOSMOS said the Artemis Program is too “US centric.” That’s certainly not an encouraging stance. That’s also the way it’s perceived by some in the community.
China on the other hand has no choice. It is prohibited by US law from entering a bilateral agreement with the US on space activities. That might not change in the near future even with if Joe Biden is elected President.
Notably absent from signing are France and Germany. These two powerhouse countries would have preferred a multilateral agreement. Germany in particular is unlikely to support the accords. Kai-Uwe Schrogl, the current President of the International Institute of Space Law and currently working with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in support of the German EU Presidency told SpaceWatch Global “the U.S. is approaching, one by one, single European states with the Artemis accords. These accords are interesting and useful, but also unacceptable, in some respects, in particular when it comes to private property rights.”
One country that may sign on is India. Chaitanya Giri from the Gateway House Indian Council on Foreign Relations, wrote earlier this year that India should sign the accords. India is currently enjoying closer ties with the US and may be receptive.
In a press release on the signing, NASA’s Jim Bridenstine said “Artemis will be the broadest and most diverse international human space exploration program in history, and the Artemis Accords are the vehicle that will establish this singular global coalition. With today’s signing, we are uniting with our partners to explore the Moon and are establishing vital principles that will create a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space for all of humanity to enjoy.”
The global coalition Bridenstine refers to will need to grow and include some of the larger spacefaring nations before it can be truly considered a “global coalition.”
If you want to dive deeper into what the Artemis Accords mean from a policy perspective, David Kendall the former Chairman of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and former Director General of Space Science and Technology at the Canadian Space Agency wrote a three part piece for SpaceQ.
RELATED: Browse our archive of Artemis Accords articles.