Artemis Accords

The Artemis Accords are a set of principles for peaceful, transparent and responsible cooperation in the civil exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, comets and asteroids. Established in 2020, they provide a common framework for governments participating in space activities while relying on existing international space law.

Legal character and foundation

The Accords are a non-binding political commitment, not a treaty. Their principles are grounded primarily in the Outer Space Treaty, 1967, along with the Rescue Agreement, Liability Convention and Registration Convention.

• Participating states implement the principles through their national programmes and cooperative arrangements.
• India became a signatory in 2023, affirming its commitment to responsible civil space cooperation.

Principles for cooperation

• Activities must be conducted exclusively for peaceful purposes and in accordance with international law.
• Signatories promote transparency by sharing information on their space policies, plans and activities.
• They seek interoperability through common standards for infrastructure, spacecraft and operational systems.
• They undertake to provide emergency assistance to astronauts and personnel in distress.
• They support registration of space objects and cooperation in identifying the appropriate state of registry.
• Scientific information resulting from covered activities should be shared openly with the public and international scientific community.

Responsible exploration and sustainability

• Signatories seek to preserve outer-space heritage, including historically significant landing sites, spacecraft and evidence of human activity.
• Extraction and use of space resources must comply with the Outer Space Treaty and do not inherently constitute national appropriation prohibited by its Article II.
• Signatories provide information and coordinate activities to prevent harmful interference; safety zones must respect free access and cease with the relevant operation.
• They commit to limiting orbital debris and planning the safe and timely disposal of spacecraft at the end of missions.