Deputy Kamala Harris spoke about "the importance of international cooperation in manned space exploration".
U.S. Deputy Kamala Harris held a briefing Wednesday at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. Deputy Kamala Harris announced on Wednesday that the United States will land an "international astronaut" on the moon with Americans by the end of the decade.
Speaking at the third meeting of the U.S. National Space Council under Biden**, Harris spoke about "the importance of international cooperation in manned space exploration" and noted that the Artemis program "is the most ambitious space exploration effort in generations."
For the first time in more than half a century, the United States returned astronauts to the surface of the moon. We're going to build the first lunar base camp and the first lunar orbital station — all in collaboration with our allies and partners," Harris said. "For example, the service module that helped the Artemis astronauts get to the moon was built by the European Space Agency. Europe, Japan and Canada will make significant contributions to the lunar space station. ”
While the U.S. had previously pledged to have international astronauts orbit the moon on future Artemis missions, today's announcement takes that commitment a step further by allowing one of the astronauts to actually walk on the moon's surface.
Today, in recognition of the important role our allies and partners play in the Artemis program, I am proud to announce that we plan to join U.S. astronauts in sending an international astronaut to the surface of the moon by the end of the decade. Deputy ** said. "This statement and this meeting of our National Space Council further demonstrate our belief in the vital importance of international partnerships, and I believe we have come together as we agree that space is a place of extraordinary opportunity. So, our task — and I dare say our responsibility — must all work together to make this opportunity a reality and preserve it for future generations. ”
Deputy Kamala Harris speaks at the National Space Council meeting at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium on December 20, 2023, and every planned Artemis mission to the moon will have space for four astronauts, but not every astronaut will walk on the moon. Only two astronauts will land on the lunar surface at each mission, while the remaining two astronauts will fly around the moon only in the Orion spacecraft or a small space station called the Gateway.
According to the Associated Press, the committee did not mention who the International Moonwalker might have been, or even which country it would represent. A NASA spokesman later said that the crew would be assigned closer to the lunar mission and that no commitments had been made to other countries at this time.
The move reportedly comes as the U.S. believes China is preparing for potential orbital competition.
NASA could have chosen to do this work alone, but they deliberately chose to include Canada and a growing number of international partners. This extraordinary example of American leadership leverages our collective expertise, which is not only genuinely appreciated, but so desperately needed in today's world."
The first mission to land on the moon – Artemis III – is not scheduled to launch until at least the end of 2025. However, this time frame has been called into question as the space agency keeps a close eye on the moon's developments. SpaceX's craft will serve as a lander for Artemis III, transporting astronauts to the lunar surface.
"As mission parameters and crew standards are determined, NASA will arrange specific crew assignments closer to each mission," NASA said. ”
NASA has long emphasized the need for global cooperation in space, and in 2020 it co-developed the Artemis Accords with the United States*** to promote responsible behavior not only on the Moon but everywhere in space. Representatives of all 33 countries that have signed these agreements so far are expected to attend the Space Council meeting in Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, citing the Webb Space Telescope, a joint effort of the United States, Europe and Canada, that "we know from experience that space cooperation can deliver results." ”
Blinken also noted that "new challenges have emerged, including from our strategic competitors," but he did not specify which countries.
The creation of the Artemis Accords is seen as a challenge to China's International Lunar Research Station project, which aims to create a coalition of countries to establish a permanent base on the moon over the next decade. Russia and Venezuela are among several countries that have signed the agreement.
Russia, along with Europe, Japan and Canada, is NASA's partner on the International Space Station. Even in the early 90s of the 20th century, Russian and American space agencies joined forces in the Space Shuttle program to launch each other's cosmonauts into Russia's pre-orbital Mir space station.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Deputy Kamala Harris arrived in Washington, D.C., on December 20, 2023 for a meeting of the National Space Commission, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been inviting international astronauts on space travel for decades.
Canadian Jeremy Hansen will fly around the moon with three American astronauts in about a year as part of the Artemis II mission. Another group of crew members will actually land;This will be the first time an astronaut has landed on the moon in more than half a century. According to the U.S. Accountability Office, this scenario is unlikely to happen before 2027.
All 12 moonwalkers in NASA's Apollo program in the 60s and 1970s of the 20th century were U.S. citizens. The space agency's new lunar exploration program was named Artemis after the twin sisters of Apollo mythology. Hansen told the council that the participation of international partners "is not only sincerely appreciated, but is urgently needed in today's world."
Wednesday also marks the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Space Force. Former Trump created it as the first new armed forces since 1947.
Artemis II crew members speak outside the West Wing of the White House after meeting with Biden on December 14, 2023. At Wednesday's meeting, Harris also announced new policies to ensure the safe use of space as more and more private companies and countries set their sights on space. Among the problems that the United States seeks to solve are the climate crisis and the growing amount of space junk around the planet. Russia's 2021 anti-satellite missile test added more than 1,500 pieces of potentially dangerous orbital debris, and Blinken joined others at the conference in calling on all countries to stop such destructive tests.