Washington: India, a global power and a country with independent access to space, should be part of the Artemis team, according to a top NASA official. The Artemis Accords, grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, is a set of non-binding principles aimed at guiding civil space exploration and use in the 21st century. By 2025, the United States-led Lunar Accords plan to send people back to the moon with a view to eventually extending exploration to Mars and beyond.
India should prioritise signing the Artemis Accords, according to Bhavya Lal, assistant administrator for technology, policy, and strategy at NASA. She made a point of highlighting India's status as a global power with autonomous access to space, a booming launch industry, and a history of lunar and Mars expeditions. Joining the Artemis team will not only establish India as a major player in the space race but also show the country's dedication to cooperative development, responsible space usage, and sustainable exploration.
"I think signing Artemis Accords should be a priority (for India). I mean, NASA feels pretty strongly that India, it's a global power. It's one of the few countries with independent access to space, has a thriving launch industry, has been to the moon, has been to Mars, it needs to be part of the Artemis team," she said.
Lal, who was born in Mathura and grew up in New Delhi, highlighted the need for increased collaboration between India and the United States in the Artemis program, particularly in lunar activities. She mentioned the establishment of a human space flight working group and expressed hope for tangible opportunities for collaboration to emerge from their efforts. Lal also mentioned upcoming missions such as the launch of NISAR and Chandrayaan 3, as well as India's human space flight program, which she finds particularly exciting.
Lal acknowledged the historical ups and downs in India-US space collaboration but noted that recent collaborations have been strong, with India proving itself to be an equal and competent partner. She mentioned the potential for India to have its own space station in the future, and the opportunities for collaboration in areas such as human space flight, scientific missions, lunar exploration, and planetary defense. Lal also highlighted the potential for private companies in India to collaborate with NASA's commercial lunar payload services and US private companies.
Collaboration on planetary defense was emphasized as a crucial area where all countries should work together to prevent catastrophic events caused by asteroids or comets. Lal mentioned NASA's Dart mission as an example of efforts to mitigate such threats. She shared her personal journey of coming to the United States as an undergraduate student and facing cultural challenges, expressing her passion for space exploration and her desire to study nuclear engineering.
Bhavya Lal, a high-ranking NASA official, believes that India, as a global power with independent access to space, should join the Artemis team. She highlighted the potential benefits of collaboration, including the declaration of India as a global space power and the promotion of sustainable and responsible exploration. Lal emphasized the need for increased collaboration between India and the United States in various areas of space exploration, and she expressed enthusiasm for India's upcoming missions and its human space flight program.
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