Greece Becomes 35th Country to Sign Artemis Accords

Greece has become the 35th country to commit to a set of principles guiding international cooperation on space exploration.

Giorgos Gerapetritis, the Greek foreign affairs minister, signed the Artemis Accords on Friday during a strategic dialogue with the U.S. Department of State, NASA said Friday.

According to Gerapetritis, the Accords will guide international collaboration leading to “sustainable and peaceful” space exploration amid efforts to travel to the moon and beyond.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy and Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended the signing. Nelson said the new commitment extends Greece’s longstanding U.S. partnership to the space domain.

News of Greece’s signing comes after similar commitments by Bulgaria, Germany and Argentina in recent months.

Established in 2020, the Accords implement commitments made under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and affirm best practices such as the release of public data, NASA said. Other principles set forth by the Accords include strengthening interoperability and protecting heritage.