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.