The Republic of Serbia is officially joining the cosmic club. At 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 16, Serbia will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will host Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić and U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Wesley Brooks for the event. Media must RSVP by 3 p.m. on July 16 to hq-media@mail.nasa.gov - no virtual attendance, so pack your bags.

The Artemis Accords, established in 2020 under the first Trump Administration, were designed to lay down some ground rules for lunar exploration before things get too Wild West up there. With seven original signatories, the accords aim to make space exploration safer, more transparent, and better coordinated - because nothing says “orderly moon settlement” like a document signed by 69 countries. Serbia will be the latest nation to officially agree that space rules are a good idea, presumably before anyone starts claiming lunar real estate with flags and fencing.