UNITED STATES: Iceland and the Netherlands have officially become the 30th and 31st signatories to the Artemis Accords, a framework established by NASA and the U.S. Department of State to guide peaceful, transparent, and sustainable lunar exploration.
The announcement was made by NASA officials on Wednesday (Nov. 1), following the inclusion of Iceland last month and the Netherlands during a ceremony at the Dutch Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. The accords are a key component of NASA’s ambitious Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent human presence on and around the moon by the end of this decade.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed a warm welcome to the Netherlands, emphasizing the importance of global leadership and cooperation in ensuring the peaceful exploration of space for future generations. “As one of America’s oldest allies, NASA is proud to expand our partnership with the Netherlands and build a future defined by limitless opportunity and discovery,” he stated.
The 31 signatories represent a diverse group of nations, including prominent spaceflight players such as Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Together, they will work in tandem with private industry to achieve the ambitious goals set forth by the Artemis program.
In contrast, China is spearheading a separate effort to establish a crewed lunar base near the moon’s south pole in the 2030s. Six nations—Azerbaijan, Belarus, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, and Venezuela—have pledged their cooperation in this endeavour.
The inclusion of Iceland and the Netherlands in the Artemis Accords further solidifies the global commitment to cooperative space exploration and marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of a sustainable human presence on the moon.
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