By BlueShift | 2026-07-20

On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the moon, and NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the lunar surface.

Close to six decades later, a return to the moon seems closer than ever, brought into sharp focus this year by Artemis II's history-making lunar flyby, which brought humans the farthest distance from Earth they have ever been.

Plans for further Artemis missions are moving ahead, as an international race for the moon gathers steam and an increasing number of nations sign the Artemis Accords, a US-led global effort to promote the responsible exploration of space.

The time is ripe to talk about the moon, and on International Moon Day, nations around the world are getting in on the conversation via a series of events.

In a first for Latin America, the flagship International Moon Day event is being hosted at the Maloka Museo Interactivo, in Bogotá, Colombia, which is one of the region’s premier science and technology centers.

The July 20 event "One Moon, One Vision, One Future" was put together by the National University of Colombia and the Vienna-based nongovernmental organization Moon Village Association (MVA).

MVA pitched the original International Moon Day proposal to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which is responsible for promoting international cooperation in that endeavor.

And in 2021, the UN General Assembly designated International Moon Day an international day to be observed annually on July 20 in its resolution 76/76 on "International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space."

Founded in 2017, MVA serves as an informal global platform for governments, industry and academia to collaborate on the sustainable exploration and settlement of the moon.

'Humanity is capable of extraordinary things'

International Moon Day includes a flagship event and multiple events held at various locations around the world, from Sri Lanka to the United Arab Emirates.

The headline event includes a keynote address on Colombia's Objective 2030: Garavito Crater -- the nation's first domestic lunar mission, SeleneCO-1 -- delivered by National Astronomical Observatory director Armando Higuera.

The SeleneCO-1 mission will include a high-tech demonstration targeting the Garavito Crater, an impact crater in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the moon, which is not visible from Earth.

Artemis II astronauts were the first to see this side of the moon in April.

The initiative is led by the National Astronomical Observatory and involves a consortium of Colombian aerospace companies and international partners, including Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC).

Other presentations include a look at the Chinese lunar program; at lunar missions carried out by Japanese company ispace; and the current status of the Artemis Accords, which now counts 68 nations as signatories.

The event also includes a roundtable discussion on Latin American Space Law and Future Pathways, featuring industry leaders from Colombia, Brazil and Mexico.

International Moon Day intends to foster increased global cooperation between stakeholders all around the world and promotes participation for future generations, according to MVA.

It provides an opportunity to educate the public about the moon, and promote and raise awareness on the status and prospects for humanity.

"Sustainable moon exploration and utilization of the moon is the goal, and the need to collaborate and regulate activities on and around the moon," per MVA.

"A month after completing their historic flyby of the moon, the astronauts from NASA’s Artemis II mission landed at UN Headquarters in New York, with a message that sounded like a reminder," the UN said on its International Moon Day webpage:

"Humanity is capable of extraordinary things when it acts together."