What is the primary objective of the joint space venture announced by the I2U2 group of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States?

Solution

The I2U2 group of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States have announced a new joint space venture which aims to create a "unique space-based tool" for policymakers, institutions, and entrepreneurs. Under the I2U2 group’s focus area of space, the governments of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, all signatories of the Artemis Accords, announced a new joint space venture on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Primarily using the space-based observation data and capabilities of the four I2U2 partner countries, this project aims to create a unique space-based tool for policymakers, institutions, and entrepreneurs, enabling their work on environmental and climate change challenges and furthering our cooperation in the applications of space data for the greater good of humanity. US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose Fernandez signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US-UAE Business Council, the UAE-India Business Council, and the UAE-Israel Business Council to create the I2U2 Private Enterprise Partnership. The new public-private partnership will "work to increase awareness of the I2U2 initiative in business communities and support projects and other efforts that further the goals of the initiative. About Artemis Accords Grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST), the Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century. It is an American-led effort to return humans to the moon by 2025, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond.