UN meeting highlights need for sustainable lunar activities

Aarti Holla-Maini, director of the UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), speaks at the UN Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities in Vienna, Austria, on June 18, 2024. The United Nations' first-ever meeting on sustainable lunar activities was held here on Tuesday, attended by heads of space agencies from around the world, astronauts, scholars and industry representatives. (Xinhua/He Canling)

VIENNA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations' (UN)first-ever meeting on sustainable lunar activities was held here on Tuesday, attended by heads of space agencies from around the world, astronauts, scholars and industry representatives.

With more lunar missions on the horizon in the next decade, the UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) stressed the importance of sustainability in these missions at the first United Nations Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities.

Delegates discussed common approaches, priorities, and expectations for the peaceful, sustainable, and cooperative exploration of the moon.

In particular, the conference brought together the state signatories to the International Lunar Research Station, a China-initiated scientific experiment program developed by multiple countries and organizations, and the NASA-led Artemis Accords.

"I believe that each and every one of us wants to preserve our planet's largest, natural satellite," UNOOSA director Aarti Holla-Maini told the conference. "There is a growing international consensus on the need for consultation and coordination on lunar exploration, rather than a 'space race' or division of space policy."

Holla-Maini called for more cooperation and information exchange among stakeholders to ensure the sustainability and safety of lunar activities.

The UN space chief added that the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which will convene its 67th session in Vienna from June 19 to 28, will consider future actions such as the possible establishment of an Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultations.

At the conference, representatives from the China National Space Administration showcased the latest progress of the country's lunar exploration program, and called for international cooperation in the field to be enhanced. 

Delegates attend the UN Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities in Vienna, Austria, on June 18, 2024. The United Nations' first-ever meeting on sustainable lunar activities was held here on Tuesday, attended by heads of space agencies from around the world, astronauts, scholars and industry representatives. (Xinhua/He Canling)