Ecuador and India Join Artemis Accords

Ibadan, 23 June 2023. – Ecuador and India have become parties to the Artemis Accords, becoming the 26th and 27th signatories, respectively. Ecuador formally joined the Accords during a ceremony at the Ecuador embassy in Washington on Wednesday, with Karen Feldstein, NASA associate administrator for International and Interagency Relations, participating in the ceremony for the agency, and Gustavo Manrique Miranda, Ecuador’s foreign affairs minister, for Ecuador. On the other hand, the White House disclosed India’s decision to become a signatory on Thursday, with NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also agreeing to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024,

Speaking on Ecuador signing the Artemis Accords, Ivonne Baki, Ecuador’s ambassador to the United States, said, “Signing the Artemis Accords sends a powerful message to the international community that the Ecuadorian Government commits to pursuing cutting-edge efforts in technology and is open to innovation, investment, workforce development to promote sustainable growth, and international collaboration to help solve humanity’s greatest challenges.”

In addition, after the discussion with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden, an anonymous White House spokesperson confirmed that NASA and ISRO are working on establishing a strategic framework for cooperation in human spaceflight this year. The senior administration official, who spoke anonymously, also disclosed that the parties were forming several partnerships in the field of semiconductors.

The Artemis Accords reinforce and implement key obligations in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. They also reinforce the commitment by the United States and signatory nations to the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.