The ManSat Group welcomes the Isle of Man Government’s support for the Artemis Accords, with Manx companies poised to be at the forefront of the fast-growing space sector.
The Accords were developed by NASA to promote voluntary good governance and best practice for the global space industry, as it moves beyond Earth’s orbit and returns to the Moon.
Today, the Isle of Man Government agreed that the Artemis Accords should be extended to the Island, describing the move as a “proactive measure in support of existing Manx companies actively involved in the return to the Moon.”
ManSat Chief Executive Officer Katherine Gizinski said: “The Artemis Accords provide an unrivaled opportunity for the Island to reaffirm its commitment to global good governance and best practice in one of the world’s fastest growing industries: space. From the Apollo missions through to Mars exploration and today’s US$174 billion return to the Moon, Manx companies are poised to be at the forefront of this growing industry sector.”
The Accords are a reaffirmation of the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty, to which the UK and the Isle of Man are already signatories.
The Accords promote 10 core principles:
Peaceful Purposes and adherence to relevant international law.
Transparency and broad dissemination of information on their national space programs.
Interoperability and common standards for space-based infrastructure.
Emergency Assistance to render all reasonable efforts and necessary assistance to those in distress in Outer Space.
Registration of Space Objects.
Release of Scientific Data.
Preserving Outer Space Heritage.
Space Resources.
Deconfliction of Space Activities.
Orbital Debris mitigation.
Katherine said: “Three of those principles – numbers five, nine, and ten– are already espoused by the Space Data Association, the Global Nonprofit for Space Situational Awareness, which is already headquartered in the Isle of Man, with NASA as a member.
“Indeed, there is a very positive publicity value to be considered, promoting not just the Island’s space and manufacturing industries but, of course, the Island itself, placing the Isle of Man on a level ‘launch pad’ playing field with its competitors for business in the industry, allowing Manx industry to compete and increase revenues to the Manx Treasury.
“Committing to the agreement demonstrates that we are a responsible member of the International Community. For more than 20 years, ManSat has dealt with spectrum applications for operational satellites via the Isle of Man. Our customers represent some of the largest satellite companies in the world. They all consistently and continuously invest in the Island, generating income for the financial sector and for Government.”