Albania becomes 73rd Artemis Accords signatory
Albania has signed NASA’s Artemis Accords, affirming its stated commitment to peaceful, transparent, sustainable and cooperative space exploration.
Albania signed the Artemis Accords at a NASA ceremony in Washington on Monday, becoming the 73rd signatory to the framework for international space cooperation.
Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha, signed on behalf of the country. The ceremony was also attended by Albanian ambassador Ervin Bushati and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Environment Connor Tomlinson.
NASA said the accords set out practical principles intended to improve safety and coordination as nations explore the Moon, Mars and beyond. Hoxha said Albania’s signing affirmed its commitment to peaceful, transparent, sustainable and cooperative space exploration.
NASA and the US State Department established the Artemis Accords with seven other founding nations in 2020, as interest in lunar activities grew among governments and private companies. The accords are presented as principles for cooperation, rather than as a treaty.
Albania launched its Albania-1 and Albania-2 Earth-observation satellites in January 2023 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It has also hosted local NASA Space Apps Challenge events involving students, technologists and innovators working with open Earth and space science data.
