Latvia announced last week that it had signed on to the Artemis Accords, becoming the 60th nation to agree to the set of non-binding principles.
“Latvia’s accession to the Artemis Accords is a significant step towards our more active participation in the global space community,” Latvian Minister for Education and Science Dace Melbārde said in a statement. “We are proud to become part of a group of nations committed to exploring and using space responsibly and sustainably.”
A quick reminder: The US led the establishment of the Artemis Accords in 2020. Nations who sign on commit to exploring space in a peaceful, transparent, and sustainable way.
The accords celebrated their fifth anniversary last month. As such, here’s a roundup of where they stand.
Global reach: As of Nov. 4, 60 nations have signed on to the accords, representing every continent except for Antarctica. Europe has the most signatories, with 29 nations represented, while Oceania (which has far fewer nations than Europe) has the fewest with just two.
Timeline: 2024 was a banner year for the agreement, with 19 nations signing onto the accords—the most number of additions in a year.
What’s next: There’s still room for the accords to grow its number of signatories in the years to come. Just 31% of UN member states—60 out of 193 nations recognized by the UN—have signed onto the agreement. Even though every nation doesn’t have a space program, US officials have said that non-spacefaring nations, many of whom rely on data collected in orbit, deserve a seat at the table when discussing the future of space exploration (though no one has said it’s a goal to have every nation sign on.)
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