Acting Assistant Secretary Jennifer R. Littlejohn, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Bijan Sabet welcomed the Czech Republic as the 24th Artemis Accords signatory at a ceremony on May 3 at NASA Headquarters. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský signed on behalf of the Czech Republic and Czech Ambassador to the United States Miloslav Stašek also gave remarks.
Launched in 2020 with eight signatories, the Artemis Accords are a set of non-legally binding principles grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 to guide civil space exploration and use on the Moon and beyond. Accords principles include, among others, transparency, use of space for peaceful purposes, mitigation of space debris, disposal of spacecraft, deconfliction of lunar activities and registration of space objects. Following these principles will help make civil space exploration safer and more predictable for all and facilitate collaboration between signatories.
The Czech Republic joins 23 other Artemis Accords signatory nations: Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Signatories demonstrate their commitment to responsible and sustainable behavior in space and actively contribute to multilateral conversations at the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and other fora.
Representatives of Artemis Accords signatories – Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom – attended the ceremony to welcome the Czech Republic. For the United States, the Artemis Accords are co-led by the Department of State and NASA. Further information on the Artemis Accords. For media inquiries, please contact OES-PA-DG@state.gov.
