Photo: NASA (Both Images)
Admittedly, the nomenclature surrounding the Artemis Accords can be a bit confusing. This non-binding agreement between nations across the globe hoping to hitch a ride to the Moon and beyond aboard future NASA Artemis missions is, in fact, not related to the Artemis Program itself. But even so, adding an impressive 40th nation-state to the list of international horsepower behind American-funded human-crewed missions to deep space is nothing but a positive.
In front of a select group of native Lithuanian media gathered at the Radisson Blue Lietuva hotel in the capital of Vilnius Aušrinė Armonaitė, Lithuania's Minister of Economy and Innovation, gathered with US Ambassador Kara C. McDonald to formally offer the nation's services towards future Artemis missions bound for the Moon. With a treasure trove of valuable minerals and rare-Earth elements ripe for the picking in lunar hot spots like the Shackleton crater, the labor needed to get a trans-lunar mining operation up and running necessitates the cooperation of over three dozen countries across the globe.
"Welcome to the Artemis Accords family, Lithuania. Our nations are strong partners—and now we expand this partnership to the cosmos," Said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, one of the chief architects behind the Artemis Accords, which were ratified back in 2020 under the groundwork of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. "In just four years, a remarkable 40 countries have signed the Artemis Accords. Together, as a global coalition, we will explore the stars openly, responsibly, and in peace." As a member of the Baltic States, Lithuania joins Estonia, Poland, and Sweden, and Germany as a group of Baltic and Non-Baltic nations in and around the Baltic Sea that'll one day form the heart and soul of Europe's contribution to the Artemis Program.
Owing to its close proximity to global leaders in the aerospace sector in Sweden and Germany, Lithuania has seen a profound increase in the number of jobs in the space sector on home soil. With dozens of Lithuanian nationals working in the European Space Agency in fields like logistics and engineering, it was only a matter of time before this post-Soviet democratic state found its way into the Artemis Program.
"The Lithuanian space sector has been growing steadily, with our innovative companies working in this field making significant strides,” Armonaitė said. “The Artemis Accords mark a new chapter and chart a course for future space exploration, underscoring our commitment to a responsible, sustainable, and cooperative presence in space." Under the terms of the Artemis Accords, each member nation will one day have the opportunity to field their own astronauts on deep space missions, with the Canadian Jeremy Hansen slated to be the first non-American to orbit the Moon aboard Artemis II in September 2025.
"Welcome to the Artemis Accords family, Lithuania. Our nations are strong partners—and now we expand this partnership to the cosmos," Said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, one of the chief architects behind the Artemis Accords, which were ratified back in 2020 under the groundwork of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. "In just four years, a remarkable 40 countries have signed the Artemis Accords. Together, as a global coalition, we will explore the stars openly, responsibly, and in peace." As a member of the Baltic States, Lithuania joins Estonia, Poland, and Sweden, and Germany as a group of Baltic and Non-Baltic nations in and around the Baltic Sea that'll one day form the heart and soul of Europe's contribution to the Artemis Program.
Owing to its close proximity to global leaders in the aerospace sector in Sweden and Germany, Lithuania has seen a profound increase in the number of jobs in the space sector on home soil. With dozens of Lithuanian nationals working in the European Space Agency in fields like logistics and engineering, it was only a matter of time before this post-Soviet democratic state found its way into the Artemis Program.
"The Lithuanian space sector has been growing steadily, with our innovative companies working in this field making significant strides,” Armonaitė said. “The Artemis Accords mark a new chapter and chart a course for future space exploration, underscoring our commitment to a responsible, sustainable, and cooperative presence in space." Under the terms of the Artemis Accords, each member nation will one day have the opportunity to field their own astronauts on deep space missions, with the Canadian Jeremy Hansen slated to be the first non-American to orbit the Moon aboard Artemis II in September 2025.
Google News