On Monday, September 19, 2022, representatives of the signatory states of the Artemis Accord met at the International Astronautical Congress in Paris for the first face-to-face meeting since the start of the agreement. At an event co-hosted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Agência Espacial Brasileira (AEB) from Brazil and the Center national d’études spatiales (CNES) from France, the signatories discussed the next steps towards Ensuring the safety and responsibility of space exploration.
The Artemis Accords, based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, create a common framework for responsible space exploration. The principles of the agreements reflect the joint commitment of the signatories to the responsible and sustainable exploration and use of outer space.
The State Department, which jointly directs the Artemis Convention for the United States with NASA, was represented by Jennifer R. Littlejohn, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. PDAS Littlejohn highlighted the diversity of the signatories in terms of their space skills and interests and encouraged all space nations to sign the agreements. Citing NASA’s goal of landing the first woman and first person of color on the moon, she stressed that both our space missions and our space diplomacy efforts must fully represent the people of the United States. Diversity is essential to US space destinations as outlined in the United States Space Priorities Framework and the Interagency Roadmap to Support Space-Related STEM Education and Workforce.
Launched on October 13, 2020 by eight nations, 21 countries have now signed the agreements: Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States. Together we work to increase the predictability, transparency, safety and sustainability of human space exploration and ensure that space exploration is conducted for the benefit of all countries and all of humanity. For media inquiries, please contact OES-PA-DG@state.gov.
