WASHINGTON - Two European countries signed the Artemis Accords May 4, part of a surge of nations jumping on the space bandwagon following the Artemis 2 mission. Ireland became the 66th nation to sign, with Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke doing the honors at NASA Headquarters. Malta followed suit hours later in Kalkara, with Education Minister Clifton Grima putting pen to paper in front of NASA and State Department representatives.
The Artemis Accords, unveiled in 2020, outline best practices for safe and sustainable space exploration, building upon the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements. NASA increasingly sees the Accords as a vehicle for coordinating cooperation among countries in the Artemis lunar exploration effort. Burke emphasized both innovation and cooperation, saying, 'This is what the Accords are essentially about, that cooperative, responsible, transparent nature.' Grima added that the initiative 'strengthens our governance framework, enhances Malta’s international credibility and creates new opportunities to attract investment.'
With Ireland's signing, all 23 full members of the European Space Agency have now joined the Accords, along with four ESA associate members and Canada. The only EU member state yet to sign? Croatia. These signings are part of a surge that has seen five nations join in 15 days, including Latvia on April 20, Jordan on April 23, and Morocco on April 29. Mike Gold, president of Redwire Space and a former NASA official, linked the surge to the success of the Artemis 2 mission, saying, 'As the international community sees the success of the program as it moves forward, it’s only going to become more and more popular.'
The value of the Accords also came up during an April 29 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on U.S. space security threats. Mallory Stewart, chief executive of the Council on Strategic Risks, noted that the Accords 'benefit the United States because it brings everyone together on the shared principles of supporting the Outer Space Treaty.' She added, 'Our ability to cooperate with others expands our capacity to utilize, to benefit collectively from the outer space environment.'