WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Austria signed the Artemis Accords with the United States Wednesday, becoming the 50th nation to sign an international treaty that commits it to the responsible exploration of space for all humanity.
The Artemis Accords were established in 2020 by the United States and seven other countries. They set out a practical set of principles to guide responsible space exploration.
In just a few years, the original group of eight country signatories has multiplied, with 17 countries signing in 2024.
Austrian Ambassador to the U.S., Petra Schneebauer signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the Government of Austria and in the presence of State Department Acting Assistant Secretary Jennifer R. Littlejohn and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Earlier in the day, Panama signed the Artemis Accords during a separate signing ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
'NASA welcomes Panama and Austria to the Artemis Accords community and celebrates 50 countries united by shared principles for the safe and responsible exploration of space,' NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. 'More than ever before, NASA is opening space to more nations and more people for the benefit of all. Together we are building long-term and peaceful deep space exploration for the Artemis Generation.'
Besides Austria, the United States, and Panama, 47 other nations are members of the Artemis Accords. Thyey are Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
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