posted 11-20-2024 11:25 AM               

Space Renaissance International Urges UN Flag as Symbol of Unity on the Moon

Adriano V. Autino, CEO and Founder of Space Renaissance International (SRI), announced a bold initiative at the Aerospace Innovation Research Summit (AIR Summit) hosted by the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong. He urged the Artemis and International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) coalitions to plant a United Nations flag on the Moon alongside their respective national flags. This gesture would signify a united human presence as our species returns to the Earth's natural satellite after more than 50 years since the Apollo missions. This emblematic act underscores that the Moon, and space in general, is the common heritage of all humankind, not any one nation.

SRI's proposal, outlined in a letter to the Directors of both the Artemis and ILRS coalitions, calls for whichever is the first nation to land on the Moon to plant the U.N. flag before planting its own national flag. This act symbolizes critical international cooperation and the common heritage of humankind in outer space, serving as a testament to humanity's shared pursuit of space exploration and settlement.

The initiative builds upon SRI's ongoing efforts to promote the peaceful and cooperative uses of outer space. SRI's initiatives have sparked renewed focus through international conferences, publications, and advocacy on the value of space, the importance of space settlement, and space's use for the sustainability of human development and the sustainability of peace.

Currently under development by SRI are several further non-aligned platforms which will include a formal request for qualified NGOs to have active participation in both ILRS and Artemis coalitions. SRI is also actively recommending the consolidation of a comprehensive space weapons ban according to the Proposed Prevention of an Arms Race in Space (PAROS) Treaty determinations at the UN.

"At SRI, we believe that space exploration and settlement are not just national endeavors, but a shared human journey," said Adriano V. Autino, CEO of SRI. "Planting the U.N. flag on the Moon would be a powerful testament to our unity and cooperation as we venture into the cosmos."

Space has historically served as a catalyst for peace and collaboration, as demonstrated by the Apollo-Soyuz orbital rendezvous, the Mir space station, and the International Space Station. Planting a U.N. flag on the Moon would further solidify this role of space, representing unity and collaboration in our collective pursuit of human expansion into space.

Of similarly significant importance, SRI is the founder of the Space 18th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) initiative. This campaign has been presented at the U.N. Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and featured at U.N. Headquarters events in New York. SRI and its coalition partners prominently featured the Space 18th SDG Initiative at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2024 in Milan.

Robert S. Katz, CEO & Executive Director of World Innovation Network, a coordinating member of SRI's Space 18th SDG initiative notes that "The Moon United Nations flag initiative aligns perfectly with the Space 18th SDG by representing the united global cooperation, communication, and collaboration that underpins every one of the current 17 SDGs."

The Coalition, now counting 106 organizations, represents thousands of individuals from many of the United Nations member countries. All space-related organizations are encouraged to support this movement by joining the growing Space 18th SDG Coalition, advocating for the peaceful and cooperative uses of outer space.

posted 11-20-2024 11:31 AM               

In January of 1969, President Richard M. Nixon's inaugural address stressed the international flavor of the Apollo program. "As we explore the reaches of space, let us go to the new worlds together — not as new worlds to be conquered, but as a new adventure to be shared."

NASA officials noted the tone of the speech, and there was some discussion within the agency that a United Nations flag could be used for the flight. This was one of the possibilities considered by the Committee on Symbolic Activities for the First Lunar Landing, which was appointed by Thomas O. Paine, NASA Acting Administrator, on February 25 of that year.

The committee was instructed to select symbolic activities that would not jeopardize crew safety or interfere with mission objectives; that would "signalize the first lunar landing as an historic forward step of all mankind that has been accomplished by the United States" and that would not give the impression that the United States was "taking possession of the moon" in violation of the Outer Space Treaty.