By BlueShift | 2026-05-11

Within the span of one week in early May, Paraguay, Ireland and Malta signed the Artemis Accords, joining a growing number of nations who have affirmed the accords' principles for sustainable civil space activity.

The United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom established the Artemis Accords in 2020 to serve as a set of practical principles to guide responsible space exploration.

The latest three signatures bring the total number of signatories to 67.

So far this year, seven nations have signed the Artemis Accords, with more expected to sign in the near future, according to US State Department officials.

Portugal, Oman, Latvia, Jordan and Morocco signed earlier this year.

On May 4, Ireland and Malta signed the accords in ceremonies at NASA's headquarters in Washington, D.C., and Villa Bighi in Kalkara, Malta.

Ireland's minister for enterprise, tourism and employment Peter Burke signed on behalf of the nation.

Signing the accords "is an important step in deepening Ireland’s engagement in the fast-developing space sector and one which will further support Ireland’s competitiveness on the international stage," Burke said.

"It will also ensure that space activities are conducted in a peaceful and sustainable manner."

Ireland’s space sector has experienced strong and sustained growth in recent years, reflected in an 80% increase in the number of Irish companies engaging with the European Space Agency (ESA) since 2019, per the Irish government.

In signing the accords, Ireland aligns itself with all other ESA member states, all 23 of which have now endorsed the Artemis Accords, it said.

In Malta, minister for education, sport, youth, research, and innovation Clifton Grima agreed to uphold the principles set out in the international agreement.

"By signing the accords, Malta is taking a deliberate step to position itself within a high-value, innovation-driven global sector," Grima said.

"This initiative strengthens our governance framework, enhances Malta's international credibility and creates new opportunities to attract investment, build expertise and generate quality employment within the space economy."

On May 7, Paraguayan Space Agency head Osvaldo Almirón Riveros signed on behalf of Paraguay during a ceremony in Asuncion.

Strong science and technology partnerships drive innovation and development between the United States and Paraguay, the State Department said, noting that the move extends the partnership into outer space exploration.

International cooperation

The Artemis Accords are designed to guide future cooperative activities, to be implemented through bilateral agreements that will describe responsibilities and other legal provisions, according to NASA's October 2020 announcement.

International cooperation on Artemis is intended not only to bolster space exploration but to enhance peaceful relationships among nations, it said.

The Artemis Accords reinforce and implement the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, among other previous commitments and norms to space cooperation.

They aim to "avoid conflict in space and on Earth by strengthening mutual understanding and reducing misperceptions," NASA's then acting associate administrator for international and interagency relations Mike Gold said in 2020.

The principles of the Artemis Accords are: peaceful exploration, transparency, interoperability, emergency assistance, registration of space objects, release of scientific data and a commitment to preserving heritage.

The accords include a commitment to extracting and making use of space resources in compliance with the Outer Space Treaty, and to preventing harmful interference and supporting the principle of due regard.

Artemis Accords signatories also commit to planning for the safe disposal of space debris.