‘Cyprus becomes part of the space elite’

Cyprus is part of a group of countries that will cooperate with NASA for the return of humanity to the moon and then for the giant effort to send the first humans to Mars.

“We applaud Cyprus’ commitment to the Artemis Accords, which will enhance the country’s engagement with NASA and the international community,” NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free said.

Nicosia this week signed the Artemis Accords established by NASA for the peaceful exploration and exploitation of space, the 46th state to do so.

“By joining 45 other country signatories in this effort, Cyprus will help play a role in implementing the accords and exploration that is open, responsible, transparent and peaceful for the benefit of all,” he said.

The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday, at the Presidential Palace, in Nicosia, and were inked by Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nikodemos Damianou in the presence of US Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien.

The deputy minister said joining the Artemis Accords marks an important milestone for Cyprus as it is a global and diverse coalition of nations aiming at a new era of space exploration, based on the principles of security, peace and sustainability.

He added that Cyprus has already made progress, focusing largely on the fields of communication, satellites and earth observation.

“Cyprus becomes part of the space elite, 46 countries that cooperate with NASA for the return to the moon and then for the big step, towards planet Mars,” President of the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation George Danos told the Cyprus News Agency.

He said that space technologies bring solutions to a myriad problems the world and the planet face. Danos also noted that the space sector is moving at a fast pace.

Its revenue in 2023 was $570 billion worldwide while it is estimated that by 2030 it will reach one trillion dollars with all that this entails for Cyprus, technologically and financially.

NASA, in coordination with the US Department of State and seven other initial signatory nations, established the Artemis Accords in 2020. With many countries and private companies conducting missions and operations around the Moon, the Artemis Accords provide for a common set of principles with a view to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space.

Paying homage to Greek mythology, NASA chose to name its new historic mission, Artemis, as it will return to the moon after half a century and carry the first female astronaut to set foot on it.

Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon.

Only 12 people have set foot on the Moon, all men and all Americans. That was during the golden era of the Apollo programme in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

NASA’s goal is the return to the moon and the permanent presence of astronauts.

Astronauts will work and live for a long time in the permanent base that will be established on the moon.

By exploiting the natural resources of the moon and with the new technologies that will be developed, the foundations will be laid to send the first astronauts to Mars and establish a human colony there as well.

A journey to the moon takes three days, while it takes at least six months to get to Mars.