With Artemis II, a new space age, next frontiers, and challenges

Space has enormous potential to enhance human welfare. It should not become a theatre for geopolitical rivalries

The last time humans headed toward the Moon was more than 53 years ago. None of the Artemis 2’s crew members had been born. Unlike the astronauts of 1972, they will not set foot on Earth’s only satellite. The Artemis mission, which took off on Thursday, does not aim to plant flags on the Moon or even leave footprints on it. The early lunar missions were part of a project of one-upmanship between the US and the Soviet Union. Artemis belongs to a different era in science and geopolitics. The Moon is today a frontier in Sino-US space competition. At the same time, Artemis represents a broader evolution in the global approach to space exploration. The mission is part of the eponymous accords, signed by more than 50 countries, including India, that set out common principles, guidelines, and best practices for safe space exploration.

The Artemis crew intends to conduct preparatory work for a mission in the next two years, which will explore the Moon’s South Pole — deposits of ice here can provide drinking water and produce oxygen and hydrogen, which can then fuel rockets. The astronauts will test life-support systems and navigation abilities ahead of landing on the Moon, planned for 2028, two years ahead of China’s target. The Moon is an archive of the solar system. Unlike Earth, whose surface is constantly being shaped by tectonic activity, weather and erosion, its satellite preserves billions of years of history. Studying it can give scientists a sense of what conditions were like in the solar system’s past, helping them understand how habitable places like Venus and Mars might once have been. The Artemis mission thus envisages using the Moon as both a laboratory and a launchpad for other expeditions.

Its network of collaborators — national and global agencies, private companies, and  universities — provides Artemis security against the whims of one administration. There is, however, a need to evolve a global consensus for responsible space exploration. The Artemis Accords do not establish mechanisms for dispute resolution, liability assessment, or mandatory compliance. Russia and China are not signatories. Different rules increase the risk of friction between missions. Space has enormous potential to enhance human welfare. It should not become a theatre for geopolitical rivalries.