International astronaut will join future NASA moon landing

NASA and the White House announced on Wednesday (21 December) that by the end of this decade, an international astronaut will be joining U.S. astronauts in their mission to the moon under an agreement.

This decision took place during a meeting of the National Space Council, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, marking the third meeting under the Biden administration. Although no specifics were provided regarding the nationality of the international astronaut or the country they would represent, a NASA spokesperson clarified that these assignments will be determined closer to the actual lunar-landing missions. At this point, no commitments have been made to any particular country. 

For decades, NASA has been inviting international astronauts to join their missions to space. In the near future, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will take off on a journey to orbit the moon alongside three American astronauts.

However, another crew is being planned to make an actual landing on the lunar surface, which would mark the first time in over fifty years that astronauts have stepped foot on the moon. Unfortunately, this is not expected to happen before 2027, as reported by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

During NASA's Apollo program in the 1960s and 1970s, all twelve astronauts who walked on the moon were U.S. citizens. The space agency's current moon exploration program is called Artemis, named after the twin sister of Apollo from Greek mythology.

Jeremy Hansen expressed his gratitude and emphasized the importance of including international partners in such endeavors, stating that it is not just appreciated but also crucial in today's world. 

In 2020, NASA collaborated with the U.S. State Department to establish the Artemis Accords, emphasizing the importance of global cooperation in space. The goal of these accords is to promote responsible behavior not only on the moon but also in outer space as a whole. The meeting of the space council in Washington expected representatives from all 33 countries that have already signed the accords.

Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, highlighted the success of international collaboration in space by mentioning the Webb Space Telescope project, a joint effort between the United States, Europe, and Canada.

However, it is worth noting that Russia and China, the only countries besides the United States that have sent their own citizens into orbit, are absent from the Artemis Accords. Russia is already a partner of NASA in the International Space Station, which also includes Europe, Japan, and Canada. In the past, during the shuttle program in the 1990s, the Russian and U.S. space agencies collaborated to transport each other's astronauts to Russia's former Mir station. 

Harris unveiled new step during the meeting on Wednesday, planning to enforce safety practices in the increasingly crowded space domain due to the rising number of private companies and nations venturing into space exploration. The United States is focused on finding solutions for critical concerns like the climate emergency and the escalating issue of space debris encompassing Earth. Russia's anti-satellite missile test, conducted in 2021, caused in over 1,500 potentially hazardous fragments orbiting the planet. In solidarity with other participating countries, Blinken emphasized the urgent need to discontinue destructive testing of this nature. 

According to The Associated Press.