Peru, Slovakia Join US-Led Artemis Accords

Peru and Slovakia have signed the Artemis Accords, making them the 41st and 42nd countries, respectively, to join the U.S.-led initiative that provides a set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration.

Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea, Peru’s foreign minister, and Tomas Drucker, Slovakian minister of education, research, development and youth, attended a ceremony hosted by the U.S. Department of State at NASA to sign the Accords, which promote responsible space exploration and align with the space agency’s Artemis mission aimed at sending astronauts to the moon and Mars.

The Artemis Accords were established in 2020, with the United States and seven other countries as the first signatories, NASA said.

According to Gonzalez-Olaechea, joining the Accords will enable cooperation with other member countries to participate in space exploration and promote aerospace scientific development in Peru.

“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.