• UGI USER
  • Nov 29, 2023
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NASA Chief Discusses Joint Mission

Why in News?

  • NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh met to discuss India’s participation in a joint mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024.
  • The collaboration was announced during U.S. President Joe Biden’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June, where India also signed the Artemis Accords.
  • The visit includes discussions on India’s research interests, training an Indian astronaut, and a joint microwave remote sensing satellite (NISAR) for Earth observation.
 Source:Mint

Artemis Accords

  • The Artemis Accords, initiated in 2020, are non-binding principles fostering international cooperation in civil space exploration.
  • Aligned with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, these accords seek to guide collaborative efforts in NASA’s Artemis program, aiming for a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space.

Objectives

  • Safe and Peaceful Space Exploration: Establishing a framework for secure and peaceful human exploration of celestial bodies.
  • Transparency and Cooperation: Promoting transparency and cooperation among the 32 signatory nations.
  • Environmental Protection: Safeguarding the Moon’s fragile environment during exploration activities.
  • Space Resource Utilization: Creating a common framework for responsible space resource utilization.
  • Encouraging Innovation: Fostering investment and innovation in space exploration.

Signatories

  • The accords, currently endorsed by 32 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and UAE.

NISAR Mission

  • The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is a collaborative Earth observation mission between NASA (United States) and ISRO (India), utilizing advanced radar imaging techniques.

Objectives

  • Earth Observation: Monitor dynamic ecosystems, changing surfaces, and ice masses.
  • Information Provision: Offer insights into biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise, and groundwater.
  • Diverse Applications:Support disaster management, resource exploration, and climate change research.