Babatunde Rabiu, a space physicist, has urged Nigeria and other developing countries to draw inspiration from the Artemis II Moon mission to prioritise investment in science, research and technology.

Mr Rabiu, a research director at the National Space Research and Development Agency, said this on Monday during an interview in Abuja.

Rabiu was assessing the significance of the recent Artemis II Moon mission by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration on April1.

The Artemis II mission was part of NASA’s broader Artemis programme aimed at returning humans to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.

It also sought to lay the foundation for future deep space exploration, including missions to Mars.

Mr Rabiu, also head of the Space Physics Programme at the African University of Science and Technology, described the mission as a scientific milestone and a powerful demonstration of what sustained investment in research could achieve.

“To start with, the mission is a breakthrough, a celebration and a manifestation of human intelligence. It shows cutting-edge research at its peak and reflects years of deliberate investment and planning,” he said.

According to him, the mission is not a sudden achievement but the outcome of nearly a decade of structured work that began around 2017.

“Artemis II did not just happen overnight. It is the product of long-term research, carefully planned and executed. The Orion capsule and other technologies involved have been under development for years,” he explained.

He said the programme was built on the success of Artemis I, an uncrewed mission inaugurated in 2022 to test the spacecraft and other systems in deep space before human involvement.

The expert clarified that the mission’s objective was not primarily to establish a human settlement on the Moon, but rather to advance space exploration capabilities.

He explained that one of the mission’s key goals was to test the reliability and performance of the Orion capsule in carrying humans beyond low Earth orbit.

Mr Rabiu further highlighted that the mission achieved notable milestones, including diverse crew representation and participation across the U.S., thereby demonstrating significant progress and inclusivity for humanity.

He also said that the mission involved humans travelling beyond the Moon and capturing rare images of both the Earth and the Moon from deep space.

Beyond its scientific and symbolic significance, Rabiu stressed that Nigeria and other developing nations should be spurred to action as the takeaways.

He urged African countries to see the mission as proof that no nation had a monopoly on space exploration.

“It should inspire us to realise that these things are possible and we can also rise beyond our current level if we take science and technology seriously,” he said.

According to him, the global excitement surrounding the mission highlights the universal nature of science and its power to unite humanity.

(NAN)