A New Lunar Odyssey: Part 1 A Discussion on India's Space Renaissance with Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan

On Wednesday, October 4th 2023 from 12pm-1:15 pm (ET) the RDP Space Diplomacy Lab (SDL) at Duke University is hosting the first discussion in its new Fall event series "2023: A New Lunar Odyssey." This webinar sub series will focus on the emerging age of lunar exploration, in which more governments and commercial actors around the globe aim to land on the Moon than any time in history. In this discussion series, members of the Duke SDL and guest speakers will explore the diplomatic implications of governments' programs and private corporations' projects that are working to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface for scientific and commercial purposes. For the first discussion, the SDL will be joined by Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan (Director of the Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology (CSST) at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi) for Part 1 of this series, A Discussion on India's New Space Renaissance. Last month India became the fourth nation, after the United States, Russia (during the USSR time) and China, to successfully land a spacecraft (Chandrayaan-3) on the lunar surface - and first to land on the near the lunar south pole, an area of great scientific interest. What are the economic, diplomatic, and political implications of the ongoing "rush to the moon" now that the most powerful nations and large corporations are preparing for a long-term presence on the moon? What norms and regulatory steps need to be established and agreed on by global actors to ensure that questions of extractive activities and sovereignty claims on the lunar regality are deconflicted before they can threaten the safe and sustainable future for the closest celestial body to Earth. In this first installment, we'll focus on India's plans (public and private) as well as commitment to work with partners trough the Artemis Accords for a common approach to safe and sustainable exploration and use of the moon and outer space. This event is part of a Space Diplomacy Lab webinar series organized by the Rethinking Diplomacy Program, co-sponsored by the Duke India Initiative and the Sanford School of Public Policy. The Rethinking Diplomacy Program is supported by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation Endowment Fund. The webinar is open to the public, but registration is required. Register here: http://bit.ly/SDL_India_space_policy