INTERNATIONAL MOON DAY 2022: July 20 this year will mark the inaugural celebration of International Moon Day. The United Nations General Assembly, on December 9, 2021, recognised the proposal submitted by the Moon Village Association and several other groups within the organisation. The application was submitted to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
The day will celebrate one of the most memorable moments in human history. On July 20, 1969, US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to reach the lunar planet. It was the first time that a human had set foot on the Moon’s surface.
Upon landing on the surface, with millions of eyes watching history being written, Neil Armstrong hopped down the ladder and said, “That is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” The Apollo 11 astronauts used the lunar module called Eagle to reach the surface.
Since that day, Moon exploration efforts started taking shape and the lunar planet became the destination for countless missions. The landing of July 20, 1969, is a milestone in space exploration.
The International Moon Day will be held annually and will aim at educating and promoting the sustainable utilisation and exploration of the Moon and the need for regulations of activities on and around the lunar planet. These events will be organised with a top-down (inaugural celebrations) and bottom-up approach (other global events) on an international level.
Not only will these events target the young generation and the general public through educational activities, they will also cover space communities such as NGOs, government agencies, and laboratories, among other institutions. The International Moon Day, backed by UNOOSA, will also aim at promoting international cooperation regarding the usage of outer space and the affairs related to it will be dealt with by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
