Nigeria signs Artemis Accords

The Nigerian government on Tuesday signed the Artemis Accords, which sets the pace for a possible space exploration and utilization.

Artemis Accords is a multinational set of principles, guidelines and best practices that provide a common framework for responsible, transparent, safe, and sustainable civil space exploration.

With the development, Nigeria joins Rwanda in becoming the first African nations to sign the Accords.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami signed on behalf of the Nigerian government during the U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit, currently taking place in Washington D.C.

“We hope this Accord will bring benefits not only to Nigeria as a country but to all countries in Africa.” Pantami stated, according to a mailed statement from the U.S. Mission to Nigeria which welcomed the development.

Grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, the Artemis Accords establish a shared vision through a set of practical principles for transparent, safe and sustainable civil space exploration and use, launched by eight nations on October 13, 2020.

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The Accords help to facilitate a safe and transparent environment for exploration, science, and commercial activities for all of humanity to enjoy, supported by countries and private sector players.

Speaking on behalf of the U.S. government, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina said, “As we enter this new era in space development, it’s important to remember the tangible benefits that space partnership can deliver for our citizens and that African nations are not just recipients of those benefits, but active participants and partners in the exploration and use of space.”

Through Artemis, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aims to land the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon, heralding a new era for space exploration and utilization.

While NASA is leading the Artemis missions, international partnerships will play a key role in achieving a sustainable and robust presence on the Moon while preparing to conduct a historic human mission to Mars.

Key principles of the Artemis Accords include interoperability of systems, providing emergency assistance to astronauts in distress, registration of space objects to create a safe environment, developing a plan for mitigating orbital debris and retired space craft, deconfliction of activities, and the public release of scientific data to ensure the entire world can benefit from the Artemis journey of exploration and discovery.

In addition to Nigeria, 22 countries have now signed the Accords, including, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.