Ukraine signs “Artemis” agreement with NASA on studying Moon, Mars, and comets

The State Space Agency of Ukraine has signed the NASA Artemis Agreement on the Principles for Cooperation in the Civil Exploration and Use of the Moon, Mars, Comets, and Asteroids for Peaceful Purposes.

The press service of the State Space Agency of Ukraine reports.

It is noted that Ukraine has become the ninth signatory to the Artemis Agreements.

The arrangements include a set of principles that will guide signatories in their participation in NASA's Artemis program, namely:

1. Peaceful research: all activities carried out under the Artemis program must be for peaceful purposes;
2. Transparency: signatories will operate transparently to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts;
3. Compatibility: the nations taking part in the program will seek to maintain the systems' compatibility to increase their security and stability;
4. Emergency assistance: signatories undertake to provide assistance to the victims of the Artemis program under the Rescue Agreement;
5. Registration of space objects: any state taking part in the program must be a party to the Registration Convention;
6. Sharing scientific data: signatories undertake to disclose scientific information obtained in the program publicly;
7. Preserving heritage: signatories undertake to preserve the space heritage;
8. Space resources: extraction and use of space resources is a key factor in safe and sustainable research, and the signatories reaffirm that such activities must be carried out under the Outer Space Treaty;
9. De-conflicting activities: signatories undertake to prevent harmful interference and uphold the principle of due diligence, as required by the Outer Space Treaty;
10. Orbital debris: signatories undertake to plan safe garbage disposal.

"It's important for Ukraine because we'll be able to implement our own projects in partnership with the world's leading space agencies. It's a logical step in continuing our membership in the Moon Village Association. Ukrainian projects are part of ISECG's global Moon development scenario for the first time, and it's logical that we want to achieve our potential within the framework of the Artemis program.

The principles and agreements don't violate Ukraine's international obligations in the space field. I'm also convinced that the Agreements will give fresh impetus to unifying states to launch multilateral consultations in the space law development's context, which would meet modern challenges and plans of humankind in space exploration," Volodymyr Usov, head of the State Space Agency, said.

As reported, signing the Agreements will help discuss the conclusion of a Framework Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the US Government on cooperating in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes (Framework Agreement of March 31, 2008, expired on January 22, 2019); broaden cooperation of Ukraine and the US in other areas of space activities and resume a dialogue between the states within the Ukrainian-American working group on research and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, established in 2016.

On October 13, 2020, at the 71st International Astronautical Congress, eight states signed Artemis Agreements on the Principles for Cooperation in the Civil Exploration and Use of the Moon, Mars, Comets, and Asteroids.