Latvia and Jordan Join Artemis Accords

Latvia and Jordan joined the Artemis Accords this week, bringing to 63 the number of countries that have adopted the U.S.-led set of principles for responsible behavior on the surface of the Moon. They are the first to sign since NASA announced its new plan for the Artemis program on March 24, and since the four Artemis II astronauts — three American and one Canadian — flew around the Moon for the first time in 53 years.

President Trump initiated the Artemis program during his first term and NASA and the U.S. State Department led development of the Artemis Accords at that time along with seven other countries. The original eight signatories — Australia, Canada, Japan, Italy, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States — signed on October 13, 2020 during the International Astronautical Congress, held virtually that year due to COVID-19.

Governments of any country are welcome to join the Accords whether or not they have space programs or aspire to conduct operations on the Moon, although many do. Countries on all six continents that have governments now are members. The Accords reached a milestone in January when Portugal became the 60th member. Oman became the 61st soon thereafter and now Latvia and Jordan are 62nd and 63rd.

The 10 core principles are: peaceful purposes, transparency, interoperability, emergency assistance, registration of space objects, release of scientific data, preserving outer space heritage, space resources, deconfliction of space activities, and orbital debris. They only apply to governments, not the commercial sector, and only to civil activities, not national security.

Signing ceremonies were held at NASA Headquarters on Monday with Latvia and today with Jordan.

On Monday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said “we are proud to welcome Latvia to the Artemis Accords” and its “commitment strengthens our shared vision for this next great era of exploration.” Dace Melbārde, Latvia’s Minister for Education and Science, said her country is making a “clear commitment” to the principles in the Accords and participation “is also an investment in the development of our students, researchers, and innovators.”

Today, Isaacman similarly praised Jordan, noting they “join at a pivotal moment” as the principles are put “into practice with humanity’s return to the Moon.” Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States Dina Kawar said “Jordan has more engineers per capita than almost any country in the world” and “His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein is ensuring that talent has a direction, transforming Jordan into a regional and global technology hub across AI, digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and now space. Today’s signing is proof that this ambition has no ceiling. We invite our American partners to build what comes next with us.”

Mike Gold, often cited as the “father” of the Accords because he spearheaded their development when he was Associate Administrator for Space Policy and Partnerships at NASA, told SpacePolicyOnline.com he is “thrilled” that Latvia joined. Currently President of Redwire Space, he noted that Redwire has a drone manufacturing facility in Latvia and their signing the Accords “opens up new possibilities for leveraging Latvia’s exceptional manufacturing capabilities to support space-related activities generally and Artemis specifically.”

Gold is also delighted Jordan joined, showing that “even though the Middle East has faced a difficult period … the spirit of exploration and optimism is very much alive in the Hashemite Kingdom and the region generally.”  NASA’s recent decision to increase the number and cadence of Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions to the lunar surface “will create unparalleled opportunities for Jordan and numerous other nations to develop payloads, instruments, and science that can travel to the Moon.”

Isaacman announced the plan to accelerate CLPS missions and make other significant changes to the Artemis program at the Ignition event on March 24. All 61 of the Artemis Accords signatories at the time were invited to attend. Isaacman posted on X that more than 40 did and “The Artemis Accords partners are eager to deliver real capabilities to the lunar surface. Countries aren’t just signing onto principles anymore, they’re contributing to the next great age of exploration.”

 

Correction: an earlier version of this article identified Mike Gold as Redwire’s President of Civil & International Space, but he is now President of Redwire Space. Apologies, and congratulations!