Artemis Accords

Artemis Accords
The Artemis Accords: Principles for Cooperation in the Civil Exploration and Use of the Moon, Mars, Comets, and Asteroids for Peaceful Purposes
Map of signatory nations of the Artemis Accords
Participation in the Artemis Accords (November 2024)
  Signatory nations

TypeSpace law
Signed13 October 2020; 4 years ago (13 October 2020)
Parties48
LanguagesEnglish
Full text
Artemis Accords at Wikisource

The Artemis Accords are a series of non-binding multilateral arrangements[1] between the United States government and other world governments that elaborates on the norms expected to be followed in outer space.[2] The Accords are related to the Artemis program, an American-led effort to return humans to the Moon by 2026, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond.[3]

As of 13 November 2024, with the accession of Denmark, 48 countries have signed the Accords, including twenty-four in Europe, eight in Asia, seven in South America, four in North America, three in Africa, and two in Oceania.

Drafted by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, the Accords establish a framework for cooperation in the civil exploration and peaceful use of the Moon, Mars, and other astronomical objects.[4] They are explicitly grounded in the United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which signatories are obliged to uphold, and cite most major U.N.-brokered conventions constituting space law.[5][6][7][8][note 1]

The Accords were originally signed on 13 October 2020 by representatives of the national space agencies of eight countries: Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[5] The Accords remain open for signature indefinitely, as NASA anticipates more nations joining.[9] Additional signatories can choose to directly participate in Artemis program activities, or may agree simply to commit to the principles for responsible exploration of the Moon as set out in the Accords.[10]

  1. ^ Foust, Jeff (13 October 2020). "Eight countries sign Artemis Accords". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Artemis Accords". NASA. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  3. ^ Dunbar, Brian (23 July 2019). "What is Artemis?". NASA. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  4. ^ "NASA: Artemis Accords". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b Potter, Sean (13 October 2020). "NASA, International Partners Advance Cooperation with Artemis Accords". NASA. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Fact Sheet: Artemis Accords - United for Peaceful Exploration of Deep Space". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  7. ^ Newman, Christopher (19 October 2020). "Artemis Accords: why many countries are refusing to sign Moon exploration agreement". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  8. ^ "The Artemis Accords and the Future of International Space Law". ASIL. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  9. ^ "NASA, International Partners Advance Cooperation with First Signings of Artemis Accords". NASA. 13 October 2020. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Additional countries will join the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA continues to work with its international partners to establish a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space. Working with emerging space agencies, as well as existing partners and well-established space agencies, will add new energy and capabilities to ensure the entire world can benefit from the Artemis journey of exploration and discovery.
  10. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (25 August 2022). "Artemis Accords: Why the international moon exploration framework matters". Space.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.


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