IRELAND HAS JUST signed up to a US-led agreement setting out how countries should operate in outer space.

The Artemis Accords were signed by enterprise minister Peter Burke at Nasa headquarters in Washington DC yesterday. 

The agreement sets out a shared set of principles for how countries involved in space exploration should cooperate.

In practice, it is intended to establish “peaceful use” of space, covering issues such as avoiding interference between spacecraft, sharing scientific data, assisting astronauts in distress and managing space debris.

Speaking at the signing, Burke said the move strengthens Ireland’s engagement in the space sector and its cooperation with international partners, including the United States and the European Space Agency.

“It is an important step in deepening Ireland’s engagement in the fast-developing space sector and one which will further support Ireland’s competitiveness on the international stage,” Burke said.

“It will also ensure that space activities are conducted in a peaceful and sustainable manner.”

Ireland’s space sector has grown steadily in recent years, with an 80% increase in Irish companies engaging with the European Space Agency since 2019.

Ireland is now one of 66 countries signed up to the Accords, and joins all 23 European Space Agency member states in endorsing the framework.

The agreement comes as space exploration accelerates globally, with Nasa’s Artemis programme aiming to return humans to the Moon in the coming years and establish a longer-term presence there.

So what are the Artemis Accords?

The Accords are a non-binding international framework led by Nasa and the US State Department.

They outline principles for civil space exploration, including transparency, coordination between missions, and the protection of space heritage sites.

They don’t create a binding law (that would be the UN’s ‘Outer Space Treaty’), but the Accords do set shared principles on how missions to the Moon and beyond should be carried out.

At their core, the Accords are about keeping space exploration peaceful, transparent and cooperative.

That includes commitments to avoid conflict between missions, share scientific data, help astronauts in distress, and reduce space debris.

They also set expectations around things like how countries might use space resources, such as lunar materials, and how they coordinate operations to avoid interference with one another.

The idea is to provide a common “rulebook” as more countries and private companies become active in space again, particularly as Nasa’s Artemis programme aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually establish a longer-term presence there.