Nasa
Artemis astronauts on surface of Moon. Credit: NASA. 

Nasa and eight partner nations have signed up to the Artemis Accords to bolster space exploration and enhance peaceful relationships. 

The eight countries are the US, the UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, Italy, Luxembourg and the UAE. 

Artemis Accords establish a set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation between the participating nations. 

These set of principles will provide a shared understanding of safe operations, use of space resources, minimise space debris and share scientific data. 

Nasa acting associate administrator for international and interagency relations Mike Gold said: “Fundamentally, the Artemis Accords will help to avoid conflict in space and on Earth by strengthening mutual understanding and reducing misperceptions.  

“Transparency, public registration, and deconflicting operations, these are the principles that will preserve peace.

“The Artemis journey is to the Moon, but the destination of the Accords is a peaceful and prosperous future.” 

Nasa’s Artemis programme seeks to land the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface by 2024.  

The agency is leading the programme, which will receive support from international partners.

The UK will be responsible for developing the service module and habitation module of the Lunar Gateway, a new space station orbiting the moon.  

The country has committed more than £16m for the first phase of the design of these elements. 

UK Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: “The prospect of the first woman landing on the Moon in the coming years will be a source of inspiration for thousands of young people across the UK who may be considering a career in space or science. 

“Today’s historic agreement, backed by £16m of UK funding, underlines our commitment to strengthening the UK’s role in the global space sector, building on our existing strengths in satellites, robotics and communications to grow our economy and improve life on Earth.” 

In August, Nasa Artemis I lunar mission’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket successfully completed the first four Green Run tests for its 212ft-tall core stage.