Manx space group urges election election candidates to back treaty

Candidates standing in the Isle of Man's general election have been sent letters asking them to back the island signing up to an international space treaty.

The Manx chapter of the Mars Society wants the island to become a signatory to the Artemis Accords, the framework for peaceful, transparent space exploration now backed by more than 70 nations, including the UK as a founding member.

The accords, launched by Nasa in 2020, are non-binding and require no parliamentary ratification, membership fee or financial contribution to sign.

Chapter leader Stuart Mullan said it was a "low-risk, high-visibility way" for the island to show ambition around space projects.

"Signing the Artemis Accords costs nothing and commits us to nothing beyond principles we already stand for," said Mullan.

"Joining the accords would put us on the map internationally and gives a real boost to the case for developing more STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] projects on the island."

The Isle of Man's Space Registry handles satellite filings for some major space operators.

"Nobody is suggesting the Isle of Man starts launching rockets," Mullan continued.

"All we ask is that candidates consider promoting the Isle of Man as an attractive base for STEM companies and businesses, the kind that bring skilled, well-paid jobs the Island badly needs right now.

"The space sector globally needs the same things the Island already provides for aircraft and shipping.

"Finance, legal services, tax expertise, insurance, and regulatory know-how. It would be a strange decision not to look seriously at whether the Isle of Man can capture a share of an industry that's growing this fast. We think it can."

Elon Musk's Space X company operates a satellite ground station on the island while satellite giants including SES, Inmarsat, Avanti and Telesat have all registered spacecraft through the Isle of Man's filing system.

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