Artemis program

Why in news?

• The New Zealand government announced recently that it had signed the U.S.-led Artemis Accords.

About the Artemis program

• The Artemis Program is a United States-led international human spaceflight program. It was launched in 2017 to return humans to the Moon, specifically the lunar south pole region, in the mid-2020s (the initial goal was 2024).
• If successful, it will be the first crewed lunar mission since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.
• The Artemis Program formally began in December 2017 under the Trump administration, with its initial focus including commercial mining of the Moon.
• Its stated goal is landing the first woman on the Moon; long-term objectives include establishing an expedition team and a sustainable presence on the Moon, laying the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy, and eventually sending humans to Mars.
• The Artemis Program is carried out predominantly by NASA and contracted U.S. commercial spaceflight companies, with international partners including the space agencies of Europe, Luxembourg, Japan, Canada, Italy,  Australia, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Brazil, South Korea and New Zealand.

About the Artemis accord:

• The Artemis Accords are an international agreement between governments participating in the Artemis Program.
• the Accords establish a framework for cooperation in the civil exploration and peaceful use of the Moon, Mars, and other astronomical objects.
• They are explicitly grounded in the United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967, whose principles they aim to implement and reinforce.

Prelims Question

”Artemis program” recently in news is related to the  field of:
(a)Space exploration
(b)Deep-sea mining
(c)Polar research
(d)Pharmaceutical research

Answer to the Prelims Question