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Cyprus among countries cooperating for returning to Moon through Artemis Accords

Cyprus is part of a group of countries that will cooperate with NASA for the return of humanity to the Moon and then for the giant effort to send the first humans to planet Mars.

Nicosia recently signed the Artemis Accords established by NASA for the peaceful exploration and exploitation of the space, as the 46th state to join this group. For this bold new beginning, NASA also collaborates with many research centers and mainly with private companies.

“We applaud Cyprus’ commitment to the Artemis Accords, which will enhance the country’s engagement with NASA and the international community,” said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, who participated virtually at the signing ceremony.

“By joining 45 other country signatories in this effort, Cyprus will help play a role in implementing the accords and exploration that is open, responsible, transparent, and peaceful for the benefit of all,” he said.

The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday, at the Presidential Palace, in Nicosia. The Accords were signed by Cyprus' Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Dr. Nikodemos Damianou. There was a live connection with NASA and the ceremony took place in the presence of the US Assistant Secretary of State, responsible for European and Euro-Asian affairs of the USA, James O'Brien.

The Deputy Minister said that this development marks an important milestone for Cyprus as it joins the Artemis Accords, a global and diverse coalition of nations aiming to a new era of space exploration, based on the principles of security, peace and sustainability.

In addition, he noted that Cyprus has already made progress, focusing largely on the fields of communication, satellites and earth observation.

As we move deeper into the space era, it is imperative to cultivate knowledge, share collaboration across disciplines and borders, he said, noting that space should be at the core of our efforts, diversify our economies and create value for future generations.

President of the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation, George Danos, spoke to CNA about the importance of this development.

"Cyprus becomes part of the space elite, 46 countries that cooperate with NASA for the return to the moon and then for the big step, towards planet Mars," he said, and congratulated the Deputy Minister of Innovation, the Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation and Technology of the Republic of Cyprus, Demetris Skourides and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus.

He said that space technologies bring solutions to a myriad problems the world and the planet face. Danos also noted that the space sector is moving at a fast pace. Its revenue in 2023 was at 570 billion dollars worldwide while it is estimated that by 2030 it will reach one trillion dollars with all that this entails for Cyprus, technologically and financially.

NASA, in coordination with the US Department of State and seven other initial signatory nations, established the Artemis Accords in 2020.  With many countries and private companies conducting missions and operations around the Moon, the Artemis Accords provide for a common set of principles with a view to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space.

The Artemis Accords reinforce the commitment by signatory nations to the Outer Space Treaty, the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior for civil space exploration and use.

It notes that international cooperation in space is intended not only to bolster space exploration, but also to enhance peaceful relationships between nations.

Therefore, at the core of the Artemis Accords is the affirmation that cooperative activities should be exclusively for peaceful purposes, consistent with the Outer Space Treaty.

Paying homage to Greek mythology, as it has done for decades, NASA has chosen to name its new historic mission, Artemis, as it will return to the moon after half a century and carry the first female astronaut to set foot on the Moon.

"Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon. This will be the name of NASA's mission to return to the surface of the Moon including the first woman," who will set foot there, NASA said.

Indeed, the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of Apollo, Artemis has the most appropriate name for the new mission to the moon, which this time will also include the first female astronaut to explore the Moon.

Only 12 people have set foot on the Moon, all men and Americans. It was the golden era of the Apollo program in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

NASA's goal is the return to the moon and the permanent presence of astronauts. Among the many goals that have been set is the robotic exploration of the Moon's poles.

Astronauts on the Moon will work and live for a long time in the permanent base that will be established.

NASA attributes great importance to the exploitation of the natural resources of the Moon, preparing the ground for humanity's next giant step, which is to send the first humans to planet Mars.

By exploiting the natural resources of the Moon and with the new technologies that will be developed, the foundations will be laid in order to send the first astronauts to Mars and establish a human colony there as well.

It is noted that a journey to the Moon takes three days, while it takes at least six months to Mars.

In an interview with CNA, former Scientific Director of NASA Dr. James Green had said that in the 2020s people will return to the Moon and in the late 2030s we will send the first people to the red planet.

As many scientists have stressed, another reason for space exploration is to become a multi-planetary species, as one should not underestimate the dangers coming from space, nor the danger of human kind's self destruction.

(Source: CNA)

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