The planet Mars on a NASA image
Prague – At today's meeting, the government approved a proposal to join the Artemis agreements, i.e. the US initiative for cooperation in the exploration of the Moon, Mars and other space bodies. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates) announced this on Twitter, according to which the Czech Republic wants to participate in the next manned flight to the moon in 2025.
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“With its signature, the Czech Republic joins more than two dozen countries from around the world. In addition to strengthening international ties, this is also a great opportunity for our space industry, science and research, which we will not miss,” said Lipavský. The arrangements include, for example, Britain, France, Poland, Brazil, Australia, Canada or Italy.
The Artemis program, which is focused on the exploration and use of resources in space, including the Moon and, in the future, Mars, has the ambition to return Americans again on the lunar surface. The first phase of this program was last year's Artemis I mission, when the Orion module was launched from Florida to the Moon by a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. In the 26 days of the mission, the module covered 2.2 million kilometers and broke the record for the distance of a spacecraft designed for a crew from Earth, which was set by the Apollo 13 flight in 1970.
Part of the Artemis II phase is already to reach orbit around the Moon with a crew aboard a spacecraft in 2024. Astronauts as part of the Artemis III mission are then to stand on the lunar surface. According to earlier estimates by the American space agency NASA, the last phase will take place in 2025 at the earliest.
