Spain has decided to join the Artemis program, an initiative promoted by the United States that seeks to establish norms for a permanent presence on the Moon and the exploration of other celestial bodies like Mars.
A senior U.S. official informed EFE of the decision just before the meeting scheduled for this Friday in the Oval Office of the White House between the U.S. President, Joe Biden, and the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.
The Spanish government plans to adhere to the Artemis Accords promoted by the U.S., with the goal of taking humanity back to the Moon in 2025, then to Mars and beyond.
The two leaders will discuss the Spanish government’s decision to join the Artemis Accords and how to strengthen cooperation between Spain and the United States in the space domain. These agreements allow other countries to participate in the Artemis program led by NASA.
Following the successful unmanned Artemis I mission around the Moon, the plans of the U.S. space agency include sending a second manned mission in 2024, which would follow a similar path, and in 2025, the Artemis III, in which astronauts, including the first woman and person of color, will finally set foot on the lunar surface.
In May 2021, the Spanish government announced the creation of the Spanish Space Agency, headquartered in Seville. This agency coordinates all of Spain’s actions in space and acts as an intermediary with other international space agencies, such as NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Artemis program, formally started by the United States in 2017 under the presidency of Donald Trump, is based on the Apollo program, which allowed the first man to land on the Moon in 1969. The goal of Artemis is to establish a legal framework for space exploration, ensuring that governments and companies using lunar resources do so peacefully and transparently.
The long-term goal of the program is to establish a permanent base on the Moon, facilitating the sending of missions to Mars with human beings on board. With Spain’s accession, there are now 25 countries participating in the Artemis program, committing to peaceful exploration of space and the exchange of scientific discoveries. Additionally, “safe zones” will be created on the Moon so that each nation can carry out its operations without interference.
Current members of the Artemis program include, in addition to Spain and the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, South Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.
Referrer: MiMub in Spanish
