Estonia 45th country to join Artemis Accords
Estonia Sunday October 13, 2024 signed the Artemis Accords becoming the 45th country to join the United States, Saudi Arabia, India and other signatories agreeing to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond
Washington: Estonia Sunday October 13, 2024 signed the Artemis Accords becoming the 45th country to join the United States, Saudi Arabia, India and other signatories agreeing to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The signing ceremony took place ahead of Italy hosting the 75th International Astronautical Congress beginning Monday, October14, where government and space officials from signatory countries will discuss advancing implementation of the Artemis Accords, among other topics.
"We welcome Estonia's signing of the Artemis Accords, which will open the door for more international collaboration," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.
"This decision also strengthens our family of nations, united by a common cause, and builds on our commitment to explore space for the benefit of humanity under the sound principles of the accords", he added.
Erkki Keldo, Estonia's Minister of Economy and Industry, signed the Artemis Accords. Rahima Kandahari, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. State Department and Lisa Campbell, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) president, were also present at the event.
"Estonia is well known as the leading country in e-governance, and it is a great honor for us to enter a next level in space exploration," said Keldo.
"We are more than interested to share our knowledge with the global space community to make future collaboration in space exploration a success for humankind. I am sure that joining the Artemis Accords will open attractive opportunities to Estonian enterprises too, to share their valuable knowledge and competences", Keldo added.
In 2020, the United States and seven other countries were the first to sign the Artemis Accords, which identified an early set of principles promoting the beneficial use of space for humanity.
The accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements including the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.
The commitments of the Artemis Accords and efforts by the signatories to advance implementation of these principles support the safe and sustainable exploration of space.
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