Nigeria signs artemis accords, sustainable civil space exploration

The U.S. Mission to Nigeria said that it welcomes Nigeria’s signing of the Artemis Accords, a multinational set of principles, guidelines and best practices that provide a common framework for responsible, transparent, safe, and sustainable civil space exploration. Nigeria joins Rwanda in becoming the first African nations to sign the Accords. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Ibrahim signed on behalf of the Nigerian government December 13 during the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit, saying, “We hope this Accord will bring benefits not only to Nigeria as a country but to all countries in Africa.”  The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit is currently taking place in Washington D.C.

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.” 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. 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. 

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: 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.