ANTRACTORY — Romania on Wednesday, March 1, 2022, became the 16th country to sign the American Space Agency’s (NASA)-led Artemis Accords for cooperation in space exploration. Meanwhile, NASA itself is currently under pressure by congress regarding the exact cost and schedule of the mission to land humans on the moon.
The head of the Romanian Space Agency, Marius-Ioan Piso signed the agreement at a ceremony in Bucharest attended by David Muniz, the US charge d’affaires for Romania, and virtually NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. NASA in October 2020 announced the Artemis Accords with eight countries, including the US, as initial signatories.
The document outlines the principles of cooperation in space exploration, from data sharing to the right to exploit space resources. Romania and seven other countries, a mix of traditional and new space partners, have joined the deal since then.
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“Now more than ever, it is important for us to work together across international boundaries to strengthen partnerships and ensure the peaceful use of outer space,” Nelson said in a statement.
“The joining of Romania with the Artemis Accords is an important step towards achieving this goal.”
Piso did not state what role Romania was seeking in the Artemis program that led him to sign the deal. He only said the spirit of collaboration was the main driving force for them to join in the moon exploration effort.
“Among the tangible benefits that arise from participating in this unique program, we see Artemis as also attracting young people to science, invention, innovation, things that robots still cannot do,” he said.
Romania is the fifth member of the European Space Agency (ESA) to sign the deal, joining Italy, Poland, Luxembourg and the UK. France has also expressed interest in signing a deal, but has yet to do so.
NASA said other countries could sign the deal in the months and years to come. However, they did not mention which country the candidate was in.
“With many state and private sector players conducting missions and operations in space, it is critically important to establish a common set of principles for governing civilian exploration and use of outer space,” said Valda Vikmanis-Keller, director of the Office of Outer Space Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. during a panel discussion on February 23 by the George Washington University Space Policy Institute.
“We want to expand the number of countries committed to the Artemis Accord.”
Pressure from congress
A few days ago, members of the US Congress were concerned about inflated costs and a schedule not going according to plan. They urged NASA to go into more detail about the management and overall strategy of its Artemis moon exploration plan.
At a hearing Wednesday, March 1, 2022, by the space subcommittee //House Science Committee//, members of both sides said they could not wait for NASA’s long-promised plan. The agency promises how to manage Artemis to the moon, while ensuring it supports human missions to Mars.
“After all, Artemis faces a significant challenge. The advisory, review and audit boards are sounding the alarm,” said Subcommittee Chair, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va).
“Years of schedule delays and rising costs, confusion over contract types, and untried approaches to organization and management are just a few of the concerns that have been raised.” Fixed schedule.
Sumber: SpaceNews
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