Those countries that want to cooperate with NASA on the Artemis program will have to follow some rules of behavior for safe space operations. Jim Bridenstine wants NASA to play a bigger role when it comes to national strategy, and this includes asking countries that want to take part in the Artemis program to follow some norms of behavior in order to maintain a safe workspace.
Bridenstine stated: “NASA is methodically going, step by step, through a number of very stunning achievements that should be inspiring the world.” After China landed the Chang’e-4 spacecraft on the moon, the Congress asked him to explain why the USA is falling behind. China landed on the moon about a month after NASA made its 8th great landing on Mars with the InSight mission. He also stated that he believed that the Congress was calling NASA for engaging more in the national strategy apparatus.
Further, he talked about the role of NASA in supporting DIME – diplomatic, information, military, and economic power. The space agency plays an important role in all the aspects of DIME, except the military.
He mostly talked about the role of NASA in diplomacy, through international cooperation, with some countries that are not necessarily the allies of the US. He talked about the Artemis program: “Countries all around the world want to be a part of this, that’s the element of national power. Then we can say, ‘OK, if you want to be part of this, here are the norms of behavior that we expect to see.”
The countries that put the space exploration at risk will not be invited to take part in the Artemis program. Leverage enables them to talk to their international partners about this behavior that they expect from all the countries.
