Chile and Cyprus Join the Artemis Accord for Responsible Moon Exploration

Two more countries have joined the US lunar exploration coalition.

Last week, Cyprus and Chile signed the “Artemis Accords,” which set out principles and guidelines for peaceful and responsible exploration of the Moon and other places beyond Earth.

Their inclusion brings the total number of signatories to the Artemis Accords to 47.

two men and two women are standing at a table, two of them are holding documents in front of the camera — From left to right: Chilean Ambassador to the United States Juan Gabriel Valdez, Chilean Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Aisen Echeverri Escudero, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and the U.S. Department of State’s Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Oceans and International Affairs. Environmental and Science Affairs Jennifer R. Littlejohn poses for a photo after the signing of the Artemis Accords Oct. 25, 2024, at NASA’s Mary W. Jackson Headquarters Building in Washington. (Image credit: NASA/Keegan Barber)

“Today we applaud Chile’s signing of the Artemis Accord and its commitment to the shared values of all signatories in space exploration,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement Friday (Oct. 25), when Chile joined him.

“The United States has long studied the stars of the great Atacama Desert in Chile,” he added. “Now we will take to the stars together, safely and responsibly, and create new opportunities for international cooperation and the Artemis Generation.”

Connected: Artemis Accords: what are they and which countries are involved?

“The signing marks an important milestone for Chile, especially since our government is committed to promoting technological development as a key pillar of our national strategy,” Aisen Echeverri, Chile’s minister of science, technology, knowledge and innovation, said in the same statement.

“Chile has the opportunity to participate in the design and development of world-leading science and technology projects,” she added. “Moreover, this collaboration allows us to contribute to areas of scientific excellence in which Chile has outstanding expertise, such as astrobiology, geology and mineralogy, which are critical for space exploration and colonization.”

Meanwhile, Cyprus signed the agreements on Wednesday (23 October).

“Today marks an important milestone for Cyprus as we formally sign the Artemis Agreement,” Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy of Cyprus, said in a statement that day.

“As we embark on this exciting journey, we reaffirm our commitment to safe and responsible space exploration, as well as our strong belief in the importance of international cooperation in ensuring that space is used for the benefit of all humanity,” Damianu added. “Cyprus, a member state of the European Union, benefits from its geostrategic location between three continents, and is committed to playing an integral role in the international space community.”

The US entered into the Artemis Accords in 2020, three years after NASA abandoned its Artemis lunar exploration program.

This program aims to establish a permanent and sustainable human presence on and around the Moon by the end of the 2020s. China has similar ambitions; in the 2030s, he plans to build a lunar base called the International Lunar Research Station. Like the United States, China is building a coalition to explore the moon, joining Russia, Belarus, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Venezuela and South Africa, among other countries.

Chile and Cyprus Join the Artemis Accord for Responsible Moon Exploration

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