Slovakia signed the Artemis Accords Thursday during a ceremony hosted by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at the agency's headquarters in Washington, becoming the 42nd nation to join an international community in a commitment to peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space for the benefit of all.
"NASA welcomes Slovakia as the newest signatory of the Artemis Accords," said Nelson. "The United States and Slovakia share a deep understanding of the power of exploration. Through this new chapter in our nations' partnership, we will further this global coalition to explore the cosmos openly, responsibly, in peace."
Tomáš Drucker, Minister of Education, Research, Development, and Youth signed the Accords on behalf of Slovakia. Sonata Coulter, deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. State Department, and Radovan Javorcik, ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the U.S., also participated in the signing ceremony.
"Slovakia perceives the Artemis Accords as a great opportunity for this generation to positively define guidelines and principles for the responsible and sustainable exploration and use of outer space," said Drucker.
Earlier Thursday, Peru became the 41st country to sign the Artemis Accords. The United States and seven other nations were the first to sign the Artemis Accords in 2020, which identified an early set of principles promoting the beneficial use of space for all humanity. The accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements including 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.
Several accords signatories also met face-to-face for a workshop in May to continue implementing the principles. The commitments of the Artemis Accords, and the efforts by the signatories to advance implementation of these principles, support NASA's Artemis campaign with its partners, as well as for the success of the safe and sustainable exploration activities of the other Accords signatories.
