The National Space Council met yesterday to discuss international partnerships in orbit; today we’ll take a look at how the Biden administration is working with its allies in space so far this year.
Wednesday’s meeting at Mellon Auditorium was the third meeting of the Biden administration led by Vice President Kamala Harris. This was the first since the council announced its proposal to split mission authorization duties between the FAA and the Department of Commerce after a year-long review.
YOU TOO HAVE A FRIEND
Space was part of the discussion during visits by many foreign leaders to D.C. in 2023. Whether space cooperation was featured in a joint statement, foreign leaders visiting space facilities as part of U.S. tours, or American space officials traveling abroad, the priorities of U.S. allies in space were a common theme this year. Some of the highlights include:
A framework was signed in January to increase cooperation with Japan on the peaceful exploration of space, including the Moon.
A joint statement of intent with South Korea in April to increase space cooperation in areas such as communications, exploration, lunar exploration and planetary science. The agreement coincided with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s official visit to DC.
In May, an agreement to share sensitive launch technology and data was signed with Australia, as well as a commitment to build a new ground station Land Down Under to support future Artemis missions to the Moon.
Following a meeting in DC in May, SSA called for greater bilateral space cooperation with the Philippines, including in areas such as maritime domain awareness, pollution monitoring and image sharing.
Establishing a “new space dialogue” between the United States and Italy in July to increase industrial cooperation. In the statement, a partnership was especially underlined regarding commercial space stations.
HANDSHAKE AGREEMENT
One of the most solid new international space agreements this year came when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the White House in June. A joint statement laid the foundation for further cooperation on a range of priorities in orbit, including the training of Indian astronauts in Houston in preparation for a joint mission to the ISS next year.
NASA chief Bill Nelson continued that commitment with a visit to India last month, where he said the space agency could help build an Indian space station.
ARTEMIS AGREEMENTS
US-led guidelines to increase cooperation on responsible use of space finished the year with more than 30 signatories, with eight countries signing on in 2023. New additions in 2023 include Czech Republic, Spain, India, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Bulgaria and Angola.